Ronaldo wins cuts to 30-day ban and €255 fine after Portugal training‑camp walkout
Cristiano Ronaldo had his sanction reduced after walking out of Portugal’s training camp in Denmark between 30 September and 4 October, the Portuguese Football Federation’s disciplinary council said. The initial punishment was cut in two stages, leaving Ronaldo with a 30-day suspension and a €255 (£215) fine.
Ronaldo had posted a lengthy statement on social media after leaving the camp saying he should be punished “without mitigating circumstances” and that his role as captain constituted “an aggravating factor”. During the disciplinary inquiry the 41-year-old presented mitigation arguments to seek a reduction of the sanction.
The document accompanying the ruling lists three mitigation points submitted by Ronaldo: “his disciplinary record this season and in the previous three seasons, his services to football including recognition for sporting merit, and his contribution to establishing the facts of the case.” To support those points he cited club titles and his national-team achievements, including the 2016 European Championship and two Nations League titles, and highlighted his individual honours — noting the Al-Nassr forward has won the Ballon d’Or five times — as well as state honours from senior officials.
The disciplinary council accepted the arguments concerning his achievements and services to the country and used that acceptance to halve the original suspension and fine; the punishment was halved again after Ronaldo accepted responsibility for his actions. The ruling states the suspension will be served during a period when there are no international matches.
The FPF’s account of events says the sequence began after head coach Jorge Jesus held a press conference reiterating that he was in charge and that no player would influence his selection decisions. The document records that Ronaldo “requested a vehicle from the FPF and set off for Copenhagen airport,” and that during the journey he called the federation’s president, Pedro Proença, and told him he was “not in the right frame of mind” to remain with the team.
The council found that “The defendant [Ronaldo] did not inform or provide prior justification to the federation or the men’s national team officials regarding his intention to leave the stadium and the training camp.” It adds that between 30 September and 4 October Ronaldo missed more than 30 team activities, including travel, training sessions and meals, and that his post‑departure social media comments drew further attention — including a promise to tell his fans “the whole truth.”
The inquiry also noted: “Given his prominence as a public figure on a global scale, the defendant could not have been unaware that his conduct, in the circumstances in which it occurred, would be subject to intense media scrutiny, as indeed it was,” and said Ronaldo was therefore “expected to exercise particular caution in choosing the timing and manner in which he expressed his dissatisfaction with the manager’s decisions and conduct”. It records that on the day he left Copenhagen he posted on Instagram that, ‘in due course’, he would tell ‘all Portuguese people the truth about the reasons that led to his departure from the men’s senior national team’.
It is unclear whether Ronaldo intends to return to the national team or whether coach Jorge Jesus will select him again; Portugal are scheduled to play Denmark on 14 November in Braga.