The Portuguese Football Federation has provisionally suspended Cristiano Ronaldo. The order was issued on 9 October and the federation has marked the case urgent, which is a polite way of saying it would rather not have this hanging over the squad for months.
The suspension follows Ronaldo walking out of Portugal's camp last month. He had been an unused substitute in the Nations League win over Norway on 4 October, then learned he would not start against Denmark in November. He left. Under the FPF's own rules, a player who fails to appear for international duty or abandons it faces a ban of between one and six months, plus a fine.
What the federation is saying
Pedro Proença, the FPF president, told the Portuguese outlet Record that "this is a time for calm and composure. We are all sitting down together at the table." He added: "There is a strong desire to have our captain back with us. There will be a normal disciplinary process."
That reads like an organisation trying to run a disciplinary case and a reconciliation at the same time. Coach Jorge Jesus has said the door remains open if Ronaldo wants to come back, and has not responded publicly to the player's latest statement.
The statement that made it worse
Ronaldo published close to 2,000 words on Instagram after leaving. He accused Jesus of twice breaking his word and of an "absolute breach of trust". He also apologised to his team-mates and supporters, accepted that he deserved to be punished, and rejected any suggestion that he had played his last game for his country. "We will have one or more farewell matches, there will be time for that," he wrote.
He is 41 and has 146 goals in 234 appearances for Portugal, both men's world records. He won Euro 2016 and the Nations League twice. He considered stopping after the World Cup in the summer and decided against it, partly because he is still chasing 1,000 career goals. Last week he was back in action, scoring his 980th in Al-Nassr's 3-0 win over Diriyah Club.
At home, the mood has shifted
Portuguese journalist Jose Manuel Delgado, speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, did not see a route back. "I don't think there is a way back. In the statement, Ronaldo says he will return to the national team but at the same time he calls Jesus a liar three times," he said. He put support for Ronaldo's position in Portuguese polling at 15 per cent, and added: "People think we owe him a lot but his time is already done and he must understand it. The problem is that Ronaldo does not understand it, he wants to keep playing as if he was 24, not 41."
Delgado was careful to separate the argument from the record. "What Ronaldo did for Portuguese football is unique and incredible and we must thank him for all the service he gave to Portugal. But at 41, he has no place in the best XI of Portugal." Whether the disciplinary process ends in one month or six, that second sentence is the one that will decide how this actually finishes.
Context: Cristiano Ronaldo, 41, Portugal captain and Al-Nassr forward, was provisionally suspended by the Portuguese Football Federation on 9 October after walking out of the national squad last month. FPF rules carry a ban of one to six months plus a fine. He has 146 goals in 234 caps.
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