Cristiano Ronaldo faces 6-month ban after abandoning Portugal

Ronaldo, 41, walked out of the national team set-up on Wednesday following a public fallout with manager Jorge Jesus.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner had been left on the bench for Portugal’s Nations League win over Norway and later decided to leave after the coach’s press conference comments.

According to the Portuguese Football Federation’s disciplinary regulations, a player who is properly called up and then “abandons or does not unjustifiably attend” training, a match or any national team activity can be sanctioned with a ban of between one and six months.

Professional players also face a fine of between €500 and €1,000.

The same rules state that such an absence triggers an automatic preventive suspension while the case is reviewed.

Ronaldo confirmed his decision in a statement, saying he left after speaking with the federation president and would “tell the Portuguese people the truth” about his reasons in due course. Portugal went on to beat Denmark 4-2 without him.

Whether the federation will pursue formal disciplinary action remains to be seen.

Any ban would only affect his availability for Portugal and would not impact his club career in Saudi Arabia