Ronaldo fined €255 for early departure with Portugal

Cristiano Ronaldo has been handed a 30-day suspension and a €255 fine after leaving the Portuguese national team camp prematurely ahead of the Nations League match against Denmark on September 30 in Copenhagen. The disciplinary council of the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) delivered a particularly lenient decision toward the 41-year-old striker.

The suspension should not jeopardize the rest of his international season. “CR7” will have served his ban before the Seleção’s next fixtures, scheduled for November 14 against Denmark and November 17 against Wales. The question of his call-up by new manager Jorge Jesus remains open, though the FPF’s swift handling of the matter suggests little prospect of him being sidelined.

The fine, meanwhile, is more amusing than punitive. Ronaldo earns an estimated €200 million per year at Al-Nassr: the €255 demanded by the federation represents barely forty seconds of his Saudi earnings.

According to Portuguese sports daily A Bola, the commission cited three mitigating circumstances to justify this leniency: his services to Portuguese football throughout his career, the honors he has accumulated — including five Ballon d’Or awards — and his cooperation in the proceedings, with Ronaldo having admitted the facts and issued a public apology.