Cristiano Ronaldo provisionally suspended after Portugal walkout
Cristiano Ronaldo has been provisionally suspended by the Portuguese Football Federation following a walkout from the national team. Ronaldo has criticized his coach but stated he remains available for future selection after serving his punishment.
Why it matters
The disciplinary action against a high-profile athlete highlights the tensions between individual players and national team management.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been provisionally suspended after the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) announced on Saturday (October 10, 2026) that it had opened disciplinary proceedings against the 41-year-old over his decision to walk out on the national team.
Ronaldo apologised to supporters earlier this week while criticising Portugal coach Jorge Jesus and said he would accept any punishment that was imposed.
“Disciplinary proceedings have been initiated against Cristiano Ronaldo,” said the federation in a statement, classifying the case as “urgent” and confirming Ronaldo is currently suspended pending a decision on the final punishment.
Ronaldo left Portugal’s squad after first being made to warm up as a substitute against Norway on September 27 and not brought on, and then finding out he would not start against Denmark in the match on October 1.
The former Real Madrid and Manchester United attacker is Portugal’s all-time top goalscorer and record appearance-maker.
Also covering this story
3 other newsrooms covered this event. We read each version separately.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in