In the UEFA Euro Qualifiers, the Republic of Ireland took on Portugal. Cristiano Ronaldo was shown a red card after committing an elbowing foul on John O’Shea during the match.
FIFA has officially announced that Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo has been handed a 3-match ban for an elbowing incident during World Cup qualifying, but the final 2 matches of the ban have been suspended for a one-year probation period. This means the superstar will not miss any of Portugal’s World Cup group stage games next summer.
For fans expecting celebrities at grand events, this is undoubtedly good news. Just like Timothée Chalamet appearing at the Met Gala, Cristiano Ronaldo will eventually take the field at the 2026 World Cup – even though he was originally supposed to be suspended for the first two group games of the tournament.
Yes, Ronaldo getting off scot-free this time is simply like those who commit white-collar crimes and somehow get a presidential pardon for no clear reason.
As you may recall, in Portugal’s penultimate World Cup qualifier against Ireland, Ronaldo was shown a red card for violently elbowing opposing defender Dara O’Shea in the ribs. Although the referee upgraded the initial yellow card to a red after a VAR review, Ronaldo’s foul was an extremely obvious act of violence on the field. FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee subsequently handed him a three-match ban – the first to be served in Portugal’s final qualifier against Armenia, and the remaining two carried over to the World Cup proper. Presumably, Ronaldo himself would only dismissively sigh, “What a bummer.”
However, FIFA officially announced on Tuesday that Ronaldo’s ban has been overturned: the remaining two matches will be suspended for one year, on the condition that he “does not commit any similar violations of the same nature and severity during the probation period.”
To put it bluntly: Yes, your actions this time were indeed outrageous, but we trust you won’t do it again, right? Good. By the way, you’re willing to participate in our tournament, aren’t you?
Ronaldo’s reprieve comes under Article 27 of FIFA’s Disciplinary Code, which grants the world football governing body the power to “suspend the execution” of sanctions if it deems necessary. The vague wording of the article means FIFA can unilaterally decide which penalties to suspend.
FIFA’s only stated reason for leniency seems to be that Ronaldo had never received a red card in his long international career. It’s the usual rhetoric: no one is perfect, and since he has always had a good reputation, there’s no need to be too harsh on him, etc.
In fact, suspended bans are not uncommon in football – the key is that such rules must be applied fairly.
But contrast this with Armenia captain Tigran Barseghyan, whose situation is identical to Ronaldo’s. He was also sent off for violent conduct in a qualifier against Ireland, received a three-match ban, and it was his first red card in international football. Yet his fate couldn’t be more different: he received no leniency whatsoever. He has already served two matches of the ban, with the third to be completed in Armenia’s next official game.
This ruling appears to have few precedents to draw from, if any.
FIFA has exercised its discretion to suspend sanctions only twice before. Once was in a labor dispute between Israel’s second-tier club Hapoel Kfar Saba and Ivorian midfielder Alpha Mamadou Diagne; the other was when Mexican fans chanted homophobic slogans during Mexico’s 2022 World Cup match against Poland.
But both cases are clearly problematic. First, neither was related to on-field violations, let alone the blatant on-field violence committed by Ronaldo – they are completely incomparable. Second, the Mexico case is somewhat absurd. Mexico was initially ordered to play a match behind closed doors, but the sanction was suspended after they promised to regulate fan behavior. This case only highlights that FIFA also chose to show leniency in the face of such blatant homophobia.
In other words, if FIFA tries to justify Ronaldo’s ruling with these precedents, it will only become a laughingstock.
However, the most sympathetic figure in this situation is perhaps Roberto Martínez.
With Ronaldo still active in professional football and willing to continue playing for the national team, the Portugal coach now finds himself in a dilemma. On one hand, Ronaldo is the greatest player in Portuguese football history and one of the legends of world football – still competing at the highest level and scoring goals. Which coach would dare to exclude such a player from the squad? If Martínez really drops Ronaldo, he will likely be engulfed by the wrath of fans.
On the other hand, Martínez has repeatedly witnessed Portugal perform better without Ronaldo, as evidenced by the last World Cup. The team struggled in the group stage, but in the first knockout round, with Ronaldo on the bench, they thrashed Switzerland 6-1. More recently, in the final World Cup qualifier, Portugal – without Ronaldo – demolished the already weak Armenia 9-1.
Originally, Ronaldo’s suspension for the first two World Cup matches would have been the perfect opportunity for Martínez. He could have led the team without Ronaldo in those games, then logically argued, “Since the team is in good form, there’s no need to change the starting lineup.” As for Ronaldo, Martínez only needed to give him a few minutes in his sixth World Cup – like pacifying a tantrum-throwing child with a cookie – to let him try to score a goal, which would undoubtedly be a historic achievement. At the same time, the team could maintain a tactically coherent starting lineup, which is often difficult when Ronaldo is on the field.
But now, this ideal scenario has been completely shattered. Ronaldo will most likely start Portugal’s first World Cup match, and while he may score an occasional goal against weaker opponents, the more probable scenes are him anxiously waving his arms at teammates or blasting free kicks into the sky.
Ronaldo remains the most globally recognized football player, and this status carries enormous influence. Last summer’s Club World Cup saw FIFA desperately need Lionel Messi’s star power, so it found a questionable way to grant Inter Miami a spot. Similarly, next summer’s World Cup simply can’t do without Ronaldo.
