Cristiano Ronaldo is set to remain available for Portugal when the World Cup begins next June, after a FIFA disciplinary ruling stopped short of suspending him for multiple matches. The verdict stems from his red card in a qualifier against Ireland, where he was sent off for elbowing defender Dara O’Shea.
FIFA confirmed on Tuesday that the sanction totals three matches, though only one of those has been enforced. Ronaldo already sat out that mandatory fixture, that is, Portugal’s 9-1 win over Armenia, which secured their place at the expanded World Cup in North America. The remaining two games will only take effect if he commits a similar offence within the next year.
If Cristiano Ronaldo commits another infringement of a similar nature and gravity during the probationary period,” FIFA said in a statement.
The ruling means Ronaldo is on track to begin what will be his sixth World Cup without interruption. Portugal’s upcoming schedule includes friendlies in March and likely additional warm-up fixtures in late May or early June, none of which he is currently barred from playing.
Ronaldo’s dismissal occurred in a 2-0 loss in Dublin two weeks ago, when he swung his arm and caught O’Shea with an elbow. The expectation had been that FIFA’s disciplinary unit might impose a harsher penalty, potentially forcing the veteran forward to miss the opening match of the World Cup.
Controversy erupts, as always
The timing of the verdict has drawn attention beyond football circles. It arrives days after Ronaldo appeared at a formal dinner at the White House with U.S. President Donald Trump and Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman. FIFA president Gianni Infantino was also present and posed for a photo with Ronaldo during the event. The Portuguese star currently plays in Saudi Arabia, whose sovereign wealth fund owns a majority stake in his club and which will host the 2034 World Cup.
FIFA noted that “the three-match suspension is subject to appeal to the FIFA Appeal Committee,” though it remains uncertain which party would have the authority or incentive to challenge the decision.
Meanwhile, Portugal, listed among the top seeds, will discover their group opponents on December 5 when Trump attends the draw ceremony at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
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