CR7 embroils FIFA in a legal battle ahead of the 2026 World Cup
FIFA may face a legal battle before the start of the 2026 World Cup due to Cristiano Ronaldo's controversial decision to suspend his red card suspension
CR7 embroils FIFA in a legal battle ahead of the 2026 World Cup
FIFA may face a legal battle before the start of the 2026 World Cup due to Cristiano Ronaldo's controversial decision to suspend his red card suspension.
Ronaldo was sent off earlier in the World Cup qualifiers after striking Ireland's Dara O'Shea, resulting in a three-match ban.
However, FIFA decided to suspend the final two matches of the ban, allowing him to participate in Portugal's first two matches in the upcoming tournament.
The English newspaper, the Daily Mail, revealed that this decision could prompt opposing players in the matches Ronaldo was supposed to miss to file a lawsuit with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to challenge the decision, overturn the suspension, and reinstate the original ban.
FIFA's disciplinary code stipulates that a player who assaults an opponent must miss at least three matches, whether the assault involves elbowing, punching, kicking, biting, spitting, or any other form of striking an opponent or any person other than the match official.
However, Article 27 allows FIFA's Adjudicatory Committee to suspend the suspension in whole or in part.
FIFA explained in an official statement: "The remaining two matches have been suspended and placed under probation for one year. If Ronaldo commits a similar offense during this probationary period, the suspension will be activated immediately, and the remaining two matches will be served in Portugal's next official match."
Portugal qualified for the FIFA World Cup finals for the seventh consecutive time and the ninth time in its history with a resounding 9-1 victory over Armenia last Sunday at the Estádio do Dragão in Porto, in the final match of Group F in the European qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. The veteran Al-Nassr captain missed the match due to his red card against Ireland (0-2).
It is worth noting that the upcoming World Cup will be Ronaldo's sixth appearance, a historic record unmatched by any other player. His Argentine rival, Lionel Messi, may soon equal this record, as both have participated in the World Cup since the 2006 edition in Germany, through the 2010, 2014, and 2018 tournaments, culminating in the 2022 Qatar World Cup.