Ronaldo received reduced Portugal suspension after presenting mitigating arguments

Cristiano Ronaldo secured a reduction in his punishment for leaving Portugal’s training camp after presenting mitigating arguments to the Portuguese Football Federation’s disciplinary council, according to the Guardian. The forward received a 30-day suspension and a €255 fine, with the ruling setting out how officials arrived at those sanctions.

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The disciplinary process followed Ronaldo’s departure from the camp in Denmark last month. In a subsequent social media statement, he had said the federation should impose whatever punishment it considered appropriate without mitigation. He also acknowledged that being Portugal’s captain made his conduct more serious, rather than providing a reason for leniency.

During the inquiry, however, Ronaldo put forward three grounds for reducing the penalty, the Guardian reported. These were his disciplinary record in the current season and the previous three, his contribution to football and sporting honours, and his assistance in establishing what had happened. His submission cited club trophies, Portugal’s 2016 European Championship and two Nations League titles, five Ballon d’Or awards and honours from senior state officials.

The council accepted arguments relating to his achievements and service to Portugal and reduced both the suspension and fine by half. It then halved the punishment again because he had accepted responsibility. His suspension falls during a period without international matches. Whether he intends to play for Portugal again, or whether coach Jorge Jesus will select him, remains unclear.

The ruling also described the sequence before his departure. After Jesus reiterated at a press conference that selection decisions belonged to him, Ronaldo requested transport from the federation and headed towards Copenhagen airport. On the journey, he called federation president Pedro Proença and said he did not feel able to remain with the squad.

According to the account reported by the Guardian, Ronaldo had not notified team or federation officials in advance or provided prior justification for leaving. The ruling recorded more than 30 missed team activities between 30 September and 4 October, covering travel, training and meals. It also criticised his subsequent promise on Instagram to explain his departure, saying that it intensified public speculation about the incident.