Portugal suspends Cristiano Ronaldo and initiates disciplinary proceedings after walkout

LISBON, Portugal — The Portuguese soccer federation has suspended Cristiano Ronaldo and initiated disciplinary proceedings against the player for walking out on the team.

The federation said in a statement Saturday that the case has been referred to its disciplinary investigation committee and that its findings will remain confidential until its conclusions are reached.

The 41-year-old Ronaldo left the Portugal team camp during the international window in a dispute with new coach Jorge Jesus over a lack of playing time.

In the games Ronaldo was either an unused substitute or absent, Portugal won all three and his replacement Gonçalo Ramos seized his chance by scoring three times.

Ronaldo ended the international break with a long post to his 679 million followers on Instagram, where he asked the Portugal coach to acknowledge a mistake in asking him to warm up on the sidelines and then not send them on the field against Norway. Jesus did not acknowledge any mistake.

The star wrote that he expected a suspension under federation rules but promised his fans "we will have one or more farewell matches."

Ronaldo could possibly face a harsh punishment for leaving the training camp. The federation's disciplinary regulations say that any player who "abandons or fails to appear" without justification at a training session, match or activity of the national teams "shall be sanctioned with a suspension of one to six months," in addition to a fine.

Ronaldo did tell the federation that he was leaving, but it wasn't clear whether the decision would be considered justified in accordance with the regulations.

"I have already apologized, but I know that actions must have consequences. Anyone in football as I am knows that, regardless of each person's status, the rules are the same for everyone," Ronaldo wrote in his statement this week.

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