Former Portuguese Football Federation president Gilberto Madail said Cristiano Ronaldo should have shown more humility toward the federation, while defending Portugal coach Jorge Jesus.
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In an interview with Portuguese broadcaster Renascença, Madail said Ronaldo should acknowledge that the federation played a role in his career and in helping him reach the status he enjoys today.
Madail said Jesus “did more than he should have,” explaining that reaching a prior agreement with a player over his participation in specific matches was something Ronaldo should have taken into consideration, which he said did not happen.
Madail said there was “absolutely no reason for this crisis to have happened within the national team,” referring to the dispute that erupted after Ronaldo left Portugal’s training camp.
Nearly a week after Ronaldo’s sudden and controversial departure, speculation is growing over the captain’s future with the “Brazil of Europe,” amid media reports of an escalating dispute between him and Jesus.
According to CNN Portugal, Ronaldo is reportedly extremely angry about the way the crisis was handled and may not return to the national team “as long as Jesus remains in charge of the coaching staff.”
At the same time, the Portuguese Football Federation is attempting to play down the crisis. The federation’s president described what happened as a “misunderstanding,” while Jesus denied that any “incident” had occurred within the national team.
Portuguese media, however, have portrayed a different picture, with the national team facing an unprecedented dispute between its coach and one of its biggest stars.
Ronaldo left the national team camp without revealing the reasons for his decision, saying only that details of what happened would emerge “at the right time.”
The dispute centers largely on Ronaldo’s relationship with Jesus after the coach kept the player on the bench for the entire match against Norway, despite Ronaldo warming up for nearly half an hour.
Following the match, Jesus repeatedly stressed that lineup decisions were his responsibility, insisting that he was the one who determined which players would take part in the matches.
