Portuguese football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has dodged a potential ban for the start of next year's FIFA World Cup, receiving a favourable disciplinary ruling just days after a high-profile meeting with FIFA president Gianni Infantino at the White House.
The Controversial Suspension Ruling
FIFA announced its disciplinary verdict on Tuesday, handing Ronaldo a three-game suspension for elbowing Ireland defender Dara O'Shea during a qualifying match. However, in a decision that has raised eyebrows across the football world, the governing body deferred two of those three games for a one-year probation period.
The incident occurred during Portugal's 2-0 defeat in Dublin two weeks ago, when Ronaldo swung an arm and struck O'Shea with an elbow. The 40-year-old forward received a straight red card for the offence.
Ronaldo has already served the mandatory one-game ban during Portugal's final qualifying match last week - a dominant 9-1 victory over Armenia that secured their place at the World Cup in North America.
Timing Raises Questions
The lenient ruling comes just one week after Ronaldo attended a formal dinner at the White House with US President Donald Trump and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. FIFA president Gianni Infantino was also present at the event and notably posed for a selfie with the football icon.
Portugal coach Roberto Martinez immediately defended his captain after the red card incident, pointing to Ronaldo's previously unblemished international record. "The red card is just a captain that has never been sent off before in 226 games - I think that just deserves credit," Martinez stated.
He described the decision as "a bit harsh" and explained that Ronaldo had been "60 minutes or 58 minutes in the box being grabbed, being pulled, being pushed" before the incident occurred.
Backlash and Broader Connections
The decision has attracted significant criticism, with veteran journalist Henry Winter accusing FIFA of undermining its own disciplinary process. "FIFA undermines the credibility of its disciplinary process and the authority of its referees with its special treatment of Cristiano Ronaldo," Winter wrote.
Ronaldo's professional connections add another layer to the story. The football legend has played in the Saudi league for three years for a club majority-owned by the kingdom's sovereign wealth fund, which Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman chairs. Saudi Arabia is set to host the 2034 World Cup and has been a major financial backer of FIFA in recent years.
FIFA noted that its disciplinary verdict is "subject to appeal to the FIFA Appeal Committee", though it remains unclear who would have legal standing to challenge the decision.
The World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, kicks off on June 11 next year, with Trump scheduled to attend the draw ceremony on December 5 at Washington DC's Kennedy Center.
