Cristiano Ronaldo sparks scandal in Portugal camp after clash with coach
Ronaldo staged a protest after being left out of the match (Photo: cristiano, Instagram)
A major scandal involving Cristiano Ronaldo has erupted within the Portugal national team camp. The 41-year-old Al-Nassr forward reportedly clashed with head coach Jorge Jesus and refused to take part in a full training session, according to A Bola.
Timeline of the conflict: from the bench to the protest
Tensions began to rise after the match against Wales, where Ronaldo faced criticism over his lack of goals. In the next game against Norway, Portugal coach Jorge Jesus took an unprecedented step, leaving the star forward on the bench for the entire match despite promising before the game that he would bring him on as a substitute.
At the training base in Malmö, Sweden, ahead of the match against Denmark, the situation finally spiraled out of control. Ronaldo came onto the pitch 30 minutes before the start of the team session, but after a brief and tense conversation with Jesus, the forward demonstratively left the field and returned to the hotel.
The Portuguese Football Federation tried to smooth things over, claiming that the Malmö club allegedly did not have the equipment needed for Cristiano's individual training program.
Emergency meeting and president's urgent flight
Despite attempts by the coaching staff to deny that there were any disagreements, the situation requires immediate intervention from the leadership. Portuguese Football Federation president Pedro Proença urgently canceled his visit to an important match involving the youth national team against Gibraltar in the Azores.
The head of Portuguese football immediately traveled to Copenhagen, from where he planned to make his way to Malmö for an emergency meeting involving Proença, Jesus and Ronaldo. The main goal of the summit is to resolve the conflict ahead of the important match against Denmark.
