Ronaldo Given 30-Day Ban, 380,000 Won Fine for Unauthorized National Team Departure

Portuguese football star Cristiano Ronaldo (41, Al Nassr), who left the national team camp without permission, has received a light disciplinary sanction, leaving the door open for his participation in next month's A-matches.

The Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) announced on the 20th (Korea time) that "the Disciplinary Committee has acknowledged the charges against Ronaldo for intentionally violating federation regulations once, imposing a 30-day suspension and a fine of 255 euros (approximately 380,000 won)."

Previously, Ronaldo, who serves as the captain of the Portuguese national team, was named on the substitute bench but did not play in the 2026-2027 UEFA Nations League match against Norway on September 28. He then left the national team camp without authorization ahead of the match against Denmark held on the 2nd of this month, after national team head coach Jorge Jesus stated he would not use him as a starter.

Following the incident, Ronaldo took to social media to protest, stating, "Coach Jesus broke his promises twice," and citing "a clear loss of trust" as the reason for his departure from the team.

He claimed that the reasons for his departure were that Coach Jesus failed to play him against Norway despite promising to do so, and that the coach went back on an agreement regarding how facts would be communicated before announcing them at a press conference.

At the same time, he apologized to the fans and stated that he was not retiring from the national team.

The Portuguese Federation also announced that Ronaldo acknowledged his wrongdoing and expressed his intention to accept the disciplinary action.

Ultimately, the Portuguese Federation handed down a light punishment to Ronaldo.

According to federation regulations, players who fail to fulfill national team duties or leave without authorization during a call-up are subject to a fine and a suspension ranging from 1 to 6 months.

According to AFP and other media outlets, Ronaldo's 1-month suspension, which was already in effect on a provisional basis, is applied retroactively from the 1st of this month—when the match against Denmark took place—and will be lifted by the end of this month.


Even after Ronaldo left the team, Portugal secured two consecutive wins in the Nations League to claim four straight victories and secure a spot in the quarterfinals. They are scheduled to face Denmark on November 15 and Wales on November 18.

As Coach Jesus previously stated that "Ronaldo can return to the national team if he wants," the possibility of Ronaldo playing in the November A-matches remains open.

The fine is also virtually symbolic in nature.

British media outlet Sky Sports pointed out, "Ronaldo earns about 488,000 pounds (approximately 865 million won) a day at Saudi Arabia's Al Nassr, and Forbes estimates his earnings for 2026 to reach 225 million pounds (approximately 399.2 billion won)," adding, "Based on his salary at Al Nassr, Ronaldo is estimated to be able to pay the fine imposed by the Portuguese Federation in just 39 seconds."
 
(Photo: Getty Images)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.