Cristiano Ronaldo will be available for the start of Portugal’s World Cup campaign after FIFA opted to suspend part of his disciplinary sanction following his red card against the Republic of Ireland.
Naija News reports that the forward was handed a three-match ban by a FIFA disciplinary panel, but only the first game has been enforced. The remaining two matches have been placed under a one-year probation period, meaning Cristiano Ronaldo will only miss those fixtures if he commits a similar offence within that timeline.
Ronaldo was sent off earlier this month after appearing to catch Ireland defender Dara O’Shea with an elbow during a World Cup qualifier. He has already sat out one match, which came in Portugal’s final qualifying game against Armenia.
If he repeats an infringement of the same “nature and gravity,” the suspended two-game punishment will be triggered immediately and applied to Portugal’s next official fixtures. Those matches would fall at the start of the World Cup group stage.
FIFA explained the ruling in a statement, saying: “In line with article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, the serving of the two remaining matches has been suspended under a one-year probation period.
“If Cristiano Ronaldo commits another infringement of a similar nature and gravity during the probationary period, the suspension set out in the disciplinary decision shall be deemed automatically revoked and the remaining two matches must be served immediately at the next official match(es) of the Portuguese representative team.
“This is without prejudice to any additional sanctions imposed for the new infringement. The three-match suspension is subject to appeal to the FIFA Appeal Committee.”
© 2025 Naija News, a division of Polance Media Inc. Contact us via [email protected]
