Portugal's football federation (FPF) confirmed on Friday that captain Cristiano Ronaldo has been provisionally suspended from the national team after walking out of camp, with disciplinary proceedings against him now classified as "urgent."
The dispute stems from Portugal's October Nations League fixtures: Ronaldo was left warming up as a substitute without being brought on against Norway, then learned he would not start against Denmark either. The 41-year-old accused head coach Jorge Jesus of going back on promises about his playing time and left the squad in protest.
The FPF said in a statement that disciplinary proceedings had been opened against Ronaldo and that he remains provisionally suspended while the case is resolved. Jesus, responding publicly to the saga, said he "doesn't owe Ronaldo an apology," pushing back against suggestions he had broken any agreement with his captain.
For his part, Ronaldo said he would remain "available, as I have always been" to play and win for the national team, while acknowledging that his walkout would need to be addressed by the federation.
The controversy has not affected Portugal's results: the team won all four of its Nations League matches during this window and has already secured a quarter-final spot with two games still to play. Ronaldo, meanwhile, returned to action with his club Al-Nassr on Friday, scoring in a 3-0 win — his first match since leaving the national team camp.
The federation has not yet said when a final ruling on Ronaldo's punishment will be announced, or whether it could affect his participation in Portugal's remaining Nations League fixtures.