Ronaldo left the Portugal camp before a Nations League match against Denmark, having earlier been told by coach Jorge Jesus that he would be used as a substitute in a match against Norway. Ronaldo warmed up on the sideline but did not play, and later said Jesus had broken his word on more than one occasion.
"Disciplinary proceedings have been initiated against Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, following a decision by the Non-Professional Section on October 9, 2026," the Portuguese Football Federation said in a statement.
Ronaldo has acknowledged that leaving camp was not the best way to handle the situation. "I owe my national team teammates an apology for leaving the training camp," he said. "Despite the absolute breach of trust in the coach's word, as anyone who witnessed our conversations can testify, I should not have done it. The responsibility is exclusively mine."
The 41-year-old added that he is open to discipline, saying the punishment "should not have any mitigating circumstances" and noting that as team captain, "that constitutes an aggravating fact."
According to reports, the federation's regulations allow for a suspension of anywhere from one to six months for a player who abandons national team activity. Ronaldo has since returned to his club, Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia, and scored in a 3-0 victory over Diriyah on Friday.