Portugal's football federation said Saturday it has suspended Cristiano Ronaldo and opened a disciplinary case against him. Ronaldo, 41, walked out of the national team's camp in Copenhagen on September 30, the day before a game against Denmark. The federation called the case "urgent" and sent it to an investigating committee. The committee will keep its work confidential until it's done. The federation hasn't announced a final penalty. Under its rules, leaving a camp can bring a ban of one to six months. On Tuesday, Ronaldo said coach Jorge Jesus "broke his word" twice. He apologized to his teammates and asked to be punished without any leniency. He also said he isn't retiring from the national team. Portugal's next games are against Denmark on November 14 and Wales on November 17.

The Rules Have to Apply to Ronaldo Too

These critics say Portugal's biggest star gets no special treatment.

They say the rulebook settles it. "If there's a written rulebook players read before joining the national team, what should the federation do? Check whether it was followed," Gilberto Madaíl, the federation's president from 1996 to 2011, said in an interview TSF published Wednesday, before the case opened. He said Ronaldo "should be sanctioned" and has "a very big ego." He also asked why the federation seemed afraid to act. "He doesn't make us richer, he makes us prouder," he said.

The coach decides who plays. "Jorge Jesus has every right to have Cristiano Ronaldo warm up for one minute or 30. He's the coach," said António Simões, a Benfica great who played for Portugal at the 1966 World Cup. "Why does Cristiano have to get special treatment?" he asked.

On this point, even Ronaldo agrees. "I am not just any player; I am the captain of the team, and that constitutes an aggravating factor," he wrote on Tuesday. Legal expert Paulo Samagaio told the newspaper Jornal de Notícias that the rule "applies to everyone." No player gets special status, he said.

Jesus Broke His Word, and Ronaldo Deserved Better

Ronaldo's defenders say the coach caused this and Portugal is turning on its hero.

The coach broke two promises, Ronaldo says. Ronaldo says Jesus told him he'd play 30 minutes in Norway on September 27. Ronaldo warmed up and never went in. He says Jesus then left out points the two had agreed Jesus would make at his next press conference. Jesus was supposed to say he'd made "a mistake" by having "someone of the stature of Pelé or Maradona" warm up and then not play. Asked about Ronaldo's statement, Jesus said he'd read it and had "nothing more to say."

He deserves special respect, his backers say. Miguel Albuquerque, the head of the regional government of Madeira, Ronaldo's home island, said Ronaldo "can't be treated like just anyone." He said Portugal likes to cultivate "envy" and "resentment" against people who succeed. Brazilian great Romário said on a podcast that if Ronaldo's account is true, "he's right." He added, "I'd have done the same."

His mother says people aren't valuing him. "He's always been Portugal's hero. They're not valuing him as they should," Dolores Aveiro told the magazine TV 7 Dias.

Portugal Should Plan His Goodbye

These voices say Ronaldo's national team career is winding down, and Portugal should give him a proper farewell.

He can't come back under this coach, they say. Coach Nelo Vingada said on TSF that the gap between the two sides is "very long." Coach António Conceição said Ronaldo's statement "made the situation even worse." He added, "I don't see the national team firing the coach to keep Ronaldo."

Give him a farewell game, they say. Madaíl said Ronaldo should have asked for a farewell "in a big final game" and ended "this story." Simões said Ronaldo should end his national team career "the same way as Messi." Luka Modrić, Ronaldo's old Real Madrid teammate, said that if Ronaldo doesn't continue with Portugal, he "deserves a big farewell." He called Ronaldo "the greatest player Portugal has ever had" and said he deserves "another ending" with the national team.

The team is winning without him. AP reported that Portugal won all three games Ronaldo sat out or missed. His replacement, Gonçalo Ramos, scored three times. Ronaldo has promised "one or more farewell matches," but he says "there will be time for that." For now, he says, he wants to compete.

Where This Lands

Portugal has suspended Ronaldo, and the investigating committee is keeping its work private until it finishes. Madaíl says Ronaldo broke the rules and should be sanctioned, and Ronaldo agrees. Simões says he deserves no special treatment from his coach. Romário says Ronaldo was right to leave if his account is true, and Albuquerque says Portugal is shortchanging its greatest player. Conceição doesn't see Portugal firing its coach to keep Ronaldo, and Madaíl and Modrić say he deserves a proper farewell. TVI reported that the temporary suspension can't last more than 20 days and should end October 30. TVI also said the case probably won't finish before November's games, so he should be available for them. On Friday, he scored for his Saudi club, Al Nassr.

Sources