Sports
Ronaldo’s Portugal future enters uncharted waters after walkout
Cristiano Ronaldo’s international future with Portugal has been thrown into doubt after the veteran forward left the team’s training camp after learning he would not start against Denmark for a second straight Nations League match.
The 41-year-old announced his departure late Wednesday, shortly after coach Jorge Jesus confirmed that Gonçalo Ramos would again lead the attack.
Ronaldo had been expected to train with his teammates at Copenhagen’s Parken Stadium ahead of Thursday’s match but instead left the camp following a conversation with Portuguese Football Federation president Pedro Proença.
“Following the national team coach’s press conference, and after having a conversation with the Portuguese Football Federation president, I decided to leave the national team’s training camp,” Ronaldo wrote on Instagram.
Portugal went on to beat Denmark 4-2 without its captain, producing an emphatic attacking display that added another layer to the growing debate over Ronaldo’s role with the national team.
Ronaldo had remained on the bench for the entirety of Portugal’s 2-1 Nations League victory over Norway on Sunday. It was the first time since November 2024 that he had failed to appear for Portugal without being injured or suspended.
Jesus, who coached Ronaldo at Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr for a year before taking charge of Portugal in July, had insisted there was no serious disagreement between them. He acknowledged, however, that Ronaldo was unhappy after being left out against Norway.
“There was no incident whatsoever,” Jesus said after the Norway match.
The coach later explained that Ronaldo had warmed up for 20 to 30 minutes but was ultimately not brought onto the field.
“Any player, and I was a player myself, when you spend 20 or 30 minutes warming up and then don’t get on, no one is happy about that,” Jesus said.
Jesus said he had informed Ronaldo before the Norway match that he could be used as a substitute but ultimately decided against making the change.
“Afterwards, as coach, I decided not to bring him on. It’s nothing to make a fuss about,” Jesus said.
The situation escalated after Jesus confirmed Wednesday that Ramos would start again against Denmark.
“If I need him, he’ll come on. If I don’t need him, he won’t,” Jesus said of Ronaldo.
Ronaldo’s decision to leave the camp suggested that his frustration went beyond a single omission from the starting lineup. The Portugal captain also hinted that he could eventually reveal more about what prompted his departure.
“In due course, I will tell the truth to all the Portuguese people about my reasons for leaving the national team, to which I have always been dedicated,” Ronaldo wrote.
“Now is time to wish good luck to Portugal and to all my teammates, without exception.”
Spanish sports newspaper Marca reported that Jesus and Proença followed Ronaldo to Copenhagen airport in an attempt to persuade him to remain with the squad before the forward boarded his private jet.
The episode also prompted an angry response from Ronaldo’s sister, Elma Aveiro, who criticized the Portuguese public in a post on Instagram.
“They don’t deserve to have the best of anything,” she wrote, adding that Portugal had become “envious, scornful, and ignorant” and deserved to return to the period before Ronaldo’s emergence.
The dispute has also spilled into the streets of Lisbon.
A Portugal fan sponsored a large billboard outside the Portuguese Football Federation headquarters expressing support for Ronaldo while criticizing Jesus. The artificial intelligence-generated billboard featured images of Ronaldo and the coach.
“Thank you, Cristiano Ronaldo, for all you have done for Portugal. You’re forever our captain,” the message next to Ronaldo read.
The section aimed at Jesus said the coach “wasn’t up to the task” and accused him of having an “inflated ego.” The billboard was quickly removed.
Fernando Maia, the fan who paid for the display, said he had no personal connection to Ronaldo or his representatives. Maia owns a billboard company and said his decision was motivated by gratitude for what Ronaldo has contributed to Portuguese football.
“I don’t know Ronaldo, I don’t know anyone on Ronaldo’s entourage,” Maia said in comments reported by Portuguese media. “I know myself, and I know something called gratitude.”
Maia also suggested that the dispute involved more than Jesus.
“Jorge Jesus was just the means for this to have happened, but there are more culprits,” he said.
He said he planned to display the same billboard outside the Estádio do Dragão when Portugal play their next Nations League match.
Jesus, meanwhile, sought to shift attention back to Portugal’s performance after the 4-2 victory over Denmark, stressing that the team’s result mattered more than the controversy surrounding its captain.
“This Portugal team scored four goals and put in a performance which, in my opinion, was of a very high standard,” Jesus said. “Of course, this is more important than anything else that has happened.”
But he also made clear that Ronaldo’s reputation would not exempt him from selection decisions.
“There are players with status. That much is crystal clear,” Jesus said. “But I’ll say it again: The rules are the same for everyone.”
The comments underline the difficult balance facing Jesus as he manages a player who has been central to Portugal’s identity for more than two decades.
Ronaldo recently indicated that this could be his final year in professional football. He is Portugal’s all-time leading scorer and most-capped player, with 146 goals in 234 international appearances.
His international career began in 2003, when he made his debut at 18. He subsequently played in the Euro 2004 final on home soil, reached the 2006 World Cup semifinals and captained Portugal to its first major international title at Euro 2016.
He has also represented Sporting, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus at club level while establishing himself as one of the most prolific scorers in football history.
Now, with Ronaldo approaching the end of his career, his relationship with Portugal has entered an uncertain chapter.
His decision to leave the training camp, followed by his promise to eventually explain his reasons, has raised questions over whether Thursday’s absence was simply a protest over his role or the beginning of a much larger break with the national team.
The Asian Games in Japan closed Sunday after two weeks marked by record-setting young stars but marred by mishaps, mediocre crowds and accusations of mismanagement.
More than 17,000 athletes and officials, a number exceeding that of the Olympics, descended on Nagoya and Aichi prefecture for the continent’s premier sporting event.
Yu Zidi, a 13-year-old Chinese swimming sensation, impressed with three gold medals, all in Games-record times. She is expected to be a major medal threat at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
The young swimmer was named a Games MVP to cap an extraordinary showing that saw her win gold in the 200-meter butterfly and complete the 200-meter and 400-meter individual medley double.
Despite her success, the shy teenager said: “I don’t think I am what people describe as a prodigy.”
Also in the pool, Shin Ohashi, a 17-year-old Japanese swimmer, set a men’s 200-meter breaststroke world record to delight the home crowd.
In athletics, where rain fell over several days, 20-year-old Thai sprinter Puripol Boonson won the 100-meter and 200-meter double and was named men’s MVP.
On a dry evening, a colorful closing ceremony saw Japan hand over hosting duties to Doha, Qatar, for the 2030 Games.
“Tonight we close the Games that will shape the next generation of Asian sport,” said Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Al Thani, president of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA).
‘Failure grade’
Top officials were on the defensive up until the last minute.
Husain al-Musallam, OCA director-general, said “numbers are facts,” pointing to 50 world records at the Games after they opened Sept. 19.
“Athletes cannot perform if they do not sleep well or have adequate transportation,” he said.
This 20th edition of the Games, first contested in 1951, lacked a traditional athletes’ village to save money. Instead, participants were housed in wooden temporary units, on the cruise ship Costa Serena and in hotels.
Organizers said this was a template for future multi-sports events. But problems arose, with some teams complaining units were too cramped and beds too short. The ballooning number of athletes and officials resulted in a shortage of beds for everyone.
A Thai Olympic official said it was “like musical chairs” to find a place to sleep.
The sport, including a popular cricket final won by India against archrival Pakistan, sometimes shone through.
North Korean weightlifter Ri Song Gum, 140 centimeters (4 feet, 7 inches), set three world records in one day to win gold.
But problems persisted, including organizers playing North Korea’s national anthem for the South Korean hockey team. Buses for athletes did not arrive as scheduled, or did not arrive at all.
Two teams were sent to the wrong venue, delaying a volleyball match.
Ryu Seung-min, president of the Korean Sport and Olympic Committee, said, “If I were to give them a grade, it would be an F.”
Games organizers also faced scrutiny over attendances, as the opening ceremony drew thousands of empty seats. Only 998 spectators attended a women’s soccer semifinal between host Japan and South Korea in a 50,000-seat stadium.
Boy history-maker
Seiko Hashimoto, president of the Japanese Olympic Committee, admitted “many problems” and said the country wants to host more international events and will learn from the experience.
She said bad weather had deterred some spectators but emphasized that some sports drew large crowds.
About 30,000 saw South Korea beat Japan 1-0 to clinch men’s soccer gold, although the occasion was tarnished when the South Korean flag was not raised in the victory ceremony.
The hosts finished with 83 golds, a distant second in the medal standings behind China with 169.
Japan’s tally included gold for Yuki Kurihara, who won in esports at 11 years old, making him the youngest Games champion in history.
Several sports hoping to be included in the Olympics made their debut, including padel, mixed martial arts (MMA) and virtual taekwondo.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen picked up his first victory this season Sunday when he outran competitions in a chaotic, rain-hit Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.
Verstappen was the last driver to win in Sepang in 2017 before it was taken off the calendar and the Dutchman, who had also taken pole, gave Red Bull a first victory with their own power unit despite an early setback when he lost the lead before turn one.
“It’s a really nice one after the year that we’ve had and the progression that we’ve made. So I’m incredibly proud of everyone. It is super nice to win here,” said Verstappen.
Championship leader Kimi Antonelli was second for Mercedes and now has an 84-point lead over his closest rival and teammate George Russell, who was third when he retired with a suspected power unit issue with five laps remaining.
Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton finished third despite a tire gamble that had dropped the Briton down to 18th at the start of the race.
“Obviously, we had the wrong call at the beginning, which was so difficult and I could see everyone just pulling away,” Hamilton said.
“I thought that was kind of race over for us, but I just kept my head down. The guys did a great job with the pit stops.”
Antonelli held on to second from Hamilton in the closing laps.
“Today was the maximum we could have done … On our side, a lot of work to do,” Antonelli said.
“We’ve been struggling a bit more than usual, but still really happy to come away with P2.”
The last four laps were a straight shootout for podium places after a lengthy safety car period and that was when Hamilton, who had been chasing Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar for several laps, made his move.
Charles Leclerc, who had also been closer to the back of the grid at the start of the race amid the chaos of a wet track, salvaged fourth for Ferrari when he overtook Hadjar with two laps to go.
Hadjar finished fifth ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri. Liam Lawson was seventh while Fernando Alonso was eighth for Aston Martin, their best result of the season.
1st wet race of 2026
The season had not yet had a wet race where the 2026 cars could be tested and the rain – which had stayed away in practice and qualifying – arrived with heavy showers sweeping across the circuit, delaying the start.
After a suspended start procedure, the second start had drivers split between intermediate and slick tires but it was the former that thrived early in the race.
When the lights went out, Antonelli accelerated through the middle from third on the grid to take the lead from Verstappen while Russell shot past on the outside to move up from seventh to second.
But Verstappen’s recovery began on lap six when he attacked Russell, overtaking the Briton by diving down the inside of turn four to set his sights on Antonelli.
The Italian had to defend his position until lap 10 when Valtteri Bottas spun his Cadillac into the gravel, bringing out the safety car as Verstappen pitted while the two Mercedes cars double stacked to switch to slick tires.
Verstappen takes lead
When the safety car came in, Verstappen stayed glued to Antonelli’s rear tire before overtaking the Italian on turn three, with Russell also surging past his team mate on the next turn to flip the order.
Verstappen looked comfortable setting the pace up front as he set fastest laps and extended his lead over Russell to over four seconds as a frustrated Antonelli informed the team that he had the pace to chase the Dutchman.
An impatient Antonelli overtook Russell on lap 21 to move up to second while behind them Hamilton had quietly been chipping away on his ageing soft tires to move up to fifth behind Hadjar.
But Antonelli missed his braking point at turn 15 and went briefly off track, hitting the pit lane bollard and costing him valuable time as Verstappen extended his lead to eight seconds.
When the second safety car came out towards the end for Alex Albon’s Williams that was stuck in the gravel, Russell suddenly parked his car on the main straight and shook his head as he got out of the car with a suspected power unit issue.
Protesters opposed to Ireland playing its Nations League matches against Israel disrupted Thursday’s 2-2 draw with Austria by throwing tennis balls bearing Palestinian flags onto the field.
Referee Allard Lindhout stopped play and sent the players for a hydration break after the balls landed on the pitch with Ireland leading 1-0 after 19 minutes.
“I think it kind of helped us at a good moment,” Ireland coach Heimir Hallgrimsson told broadcaster RTE. “We could have a breather and some drinks. But you’re never happy with this, but understand it and respect it.”
Troy Parrott had given Ireland the lead in the 12th minute with an impressive individual effort. Surrounded by three defenders, Parrott threaded the ball through one opponent’s legs, evaded two others and then fired it through the goalkeeper’s legs to score.
Play resumed after a four-minute interruption, but the match was briefly halted again when a man carrying a Palestinian flag ran onto the field before stewards stopped him.
Ireland ultimately surrendered its lead as Austria fought back for a 2-2 draw.
At halftime, RTE published a statement from the “Stop the Game” initiative claiming responsibility for the tennis ball action and declaring it over.
Members of the group had also gathered before the game to oppose Ireland’s matches against Israel because of Israel’s actions in Gaza. A small gathering displayed a Palestinian flag and banners in support of Ireland player Gavin Bazunu, who decided Saturday to boycott both of his team’s matches against Israel.
The Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign also organized a protest outside the stadium, as well as others around the country.
They are calling for Ireland to boycott its remaining Nations League match against Israel, Ireland’s “home” game, although it is set to be played without fans in Bačka Topola, Serbia, on Sunday.
The Football Association of Ireland moved the game to a neutral venue for “operational reasons” in June following widespread calls for a boycott. It also followed the FAI’s own motion the previous November calling on UEFA to ban Israel from club and international competitions.
The “Stop the Game” initiative, which issued an open letter to the squad and Hallgrimsson on Wednesday asking them not to play Sunday’s match, has also asked the Irish government and FAI to cancel the game.
Ireland already played Israel’s “home” game in Debrecen, Hungary, last Sunday, when the Irish players wore black armbands and scored three first-half goals to win 3-0.
The players deliberated for hours Saturday on whether they should play at all after Bazunu informed the coach that morning that he wished to withdraw from both games.
FAI chief executive David Courell said the players voted and that “a significant majority” were in favor of playing. Widespread reports suggested the vote was 14-8 in favor, excluding Bazunu, who had already departed.
Bazunu, Ireland’s reserve goalkeeper, was back in the squad for Austria’s visit.
Finn Azaz, whose mother has Israeli heritage, started after being left out against Israel.
Parrott made it 2-0 before the break with a penalty, but Austria struck back in the second half through Alexander Prass and Michael Gregoritsch.
The Irish team has been coming under increasing pressure in Ireland, where affinity with Palestinians is strong, to boycott both games against Israel.
The FAI has resisted the calls, arguing that the team could face punishing sanctions from UEFA. Ireland is co-hosting the 2028 European Championship with England, Wales and Scotland.
Irish fans also threw tennis balls bearing Palestinian flags onto the field during Ireland’s friendly game against Qatar in Dublin in May.
Manchester City have lodged a comprehensive appeal against an independent commission’s finding that the club breached Premier League financial rules, extending a long-running case that could have major consequences for the club and English football.
City confirmed Friday that they submitted their appeal at 7:00 p.m. local time Thursday, one day before the deadline, challenging the commission’s findings and arguing that the ruling contains significant errors of law, principle and fact.
The club have consistently denied wrongdoing and said they remain confident in their case.
“Manchester City Football Club can confirm that at 7:00 pm (6:00 p.m. GMT) on Thursday 1st October 2026 the club lodged its comprehensive appeal against the opinion of the Premier League commission, in relation to the Premier League disciplinary matter,” City said in a statement.
“The club’s firm position is that, on multiple grounds, the opinion contains clear material errors of law, principle and fact and is unsafe.”
City added that they are “innocent of the accusations made by the Premier League” and said a “comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence” exists to support their position.
The appeal follows a Sept. 29 announcement by the Premier League that an independent commission had found City guilty of more than 100 breaches of financial rules over a nine-season period.
The commission found that City had arranged what it described as “sham” commercial contracts and agreements that misrepresented arrangements with sponsors and other partners.
According to the Premier League, the schemes artificially inflated the club’s revenues and reduced their reported costs by more than 900 million pounds ($1.2 billion) during the period under investigation.
City have disputed the findings and have now formally challenged the commission’s decision.
No immediate sporting punishment
No sporting sanction has been imposed on City following the verdict, meaning the club continue to compete while the disciplinary process moves into its next stage.
That has created an unusual situation in the Premier League. City remain at the top of the standings after opening the season with five victories, while the legal dispute hangs over the competition.
Enzo Maresca’s side have opened the season with five wins from five and will resume their title campaign against Liverpool on Oct. 11.
The uncertainty has raised questions about when any punishment could be imposed, whether the appeal will alter the commission’s findings and what effect the eventual outcome could have on league tables, prize money and European qualification.
Under Premier League rules, an appeal hearing should normally take place within 12 weeks of an appeal being lodged, with a decision expected within 30 days of the hearing concluding.
But the scale of the City case could make those deadlines difficult to meet. The index to the commission’s document bundle alone ran to 750 pages.
Sports lawyer Tom Keane, a partner at Brandsmiths, said the size of the case could leave uncertainty hanging over the Premier League for months.
“It’s just the unfortunate nature of these legal proceedings, the size of them, that it’s going to take time,” Keane said.
He questioned whether the appeal could be completed within the normal timetable and suggested the process could extend beyond the current season.
Keane also argued that the appeal should be completed before a separate sanctions hearing because the appeal could potentially change the underlying findings. He estimated that legal costs could already have reached tens of millions of pounds.
Potential fallout beyond City
The consequences could extend beyond City and the Premier League’s disciplinary process.
Rival clubs are understood to be examining whether they could pursue compensation claims if they can establish financial losses resulting from City’s alleged breaches. Potential claims could involve prize money, Champions League revenue and other commercial opportunities.
Any such action would create another layer of legal complexity because clubs would have to establish a direct connection between the commission’s findings and specific financial losses.
“The City case is almost now the easy part,” Keane said. “What happens next, with clubs who believe they missed out on prize money, commercial revenue or Champions League football, is where things could become really complicated.”
He also raised the possibility of legal action involving players and agents, although the precise scope of any such claims remains uncertain.
The Premier League have yet to announce sanctions against City, and any consequences remain dependent on the outcome of the appeal and subsequent disciplinary proceedings.
Government scrutiny
The fallout has also reached Westminster.
Meg Hillier, chair of the British Parliament’s Treasury Committee, wrote to HM Revenue and Customs seeking information about whether the tax authority was examining the commission’s findings and their potential tax implications.
Hillier asked whether HMRC had received the commission’s findings, whether it had sought an unredacted version of the report and what assessment it had made of possible tax consequences.
City’s principal sponsor, Etihad Airways, have also said they are seeking legal advice after rejecting findings concerning commercial arrangements referenced in the case.
The dispute has meanwhile prompted political debate over City’s Abu Dhabi ownership.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, the former mayor of Greater Manchester, said he would be concerned if the case resulted in City’s Emirati owners leaving the club, pointing to their investment in Manchester.
Downing Street subsequently emphasized that City are not above the rules.
A No. 10 spokesperson said the initial judgment was serious and that “there can’t be any suggestion that anyone is above the rules.”
The spokesperson added that the independent process must be allowed to continue and that, where wrongdoing is established, those responsible should face the appropriate consequences.
A new chapter
The commission’s verdict followed a Premier League investigation into financial information covering nine seasons.
The findings have put renewed scrutiny on a period in which City developed into one of the dominant teams in English football, winning multiple Premier League titles and becoming a major force in European competition.
Their achievements remain unaffected on the field for now, but questions about the regulatory consequences are unlikely to disappear while the appeal is pending.
City’s decision to challenge the ruling means the central dispute is far from over.
The club insist the commission made fundamental mistakes and say they possess evidence capable of disproving the accusations.
The Premier League, meanwhile, stand behind the commission’s findings that City breached financial rules and failed to cooperate fully with the investigation.
UEFA is continuing its investigation into Barcelona in the long-running Negreira case after receiving a substantial dossier of documents from Real Madrid, adding another chapter to the bitter rivalry between the Spanish giants.
UEFA confirmed Thursday that its Ethics and Disciplinary Inspectors had received the material submitted by Real Madrid and would assess it as part of the investigation that has been ongoing since 2023.
“UEFA can confirm that it has received from Real Madrid CF a substantial amount of documents related to the ongoing investigation into FC Barcelona,” European football’s governing body said.
The documents concern Barcelona’s payments to companies linked to Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, the former vice president of the Technical Committee of Referees of the Royal Spanish Football Federation.
UEFA stressed that the material would be considered within its existing investigation. Barcelona subsequently said the announcement did not represent the opening or reopening of a disciplinary case, noting that the original proceedings had never been closed.
The latest development follows months of renewed pressure from Real Madrid, which has repeatedly urged UEFA to examine the case and has submitted additional material to the governing body.
Madrid call for urgency
Real Madrid said its complaint contained extensive documentation and evidence concerning what it described as serious events that affected confidence in the refereeing system and the integrity of competition.
The club called on UEFA to proceed with the investigation with the “utmost urgency” and continue the process through to its conclusion.
“Once UEFA has this documentation, the investigation must proceed with the utmost urgency until its full conclusion,” Real Madrid said, adding that it would continue cooperating with the European governing body.
Spanish media have reported that the material runs to tens of thousands of pages, with AS reporting a dossier of about 50,000 pages. That figure has not been independently confirmed by UEFA in its statement.
Real Madrid has been involved in the Spanish proceedings as a private prosecutor and has maintained that the payments made by Barcelona to companies associated with Negreira warrant extensive scrutiny.
The club also submitted a written statement to UEFA in June, saying it had evidence it believed reinforced concerns about prolonged payments to Negreira.
Barcelona refute
Barcelona rejected descriptions of the latest development as the reopening of a UEFA investigation.
The club said UEFA had not opened new proceedings and that the investigation began in 2023 with the appointment of two inspectors. Barcelona said it had complied with their requests and that the inspectors would now determine what, if any, action should follow from Real Madrid’s documentation.
Barcelona also said it had not received any new request from UEFA or been formally presented with Real Madrid’s complaint as of Thursday.
The club reiterated that the UEFA process remains connected to the criminal proceedings in Spain and said it has continued to obtain UEFA licenses and participate in European competitions since the investigation began.
Barcelona has consistently denied wrongdoing, saying the payments were for technical services, including reports and advice concerning refereeing and players. The club has previously maintained that documentation exists to support the services it says were provided.
Back to 2023
UEFA appointed Ethics and Disciplinary Inspectors on March 23, 2023, to investigate a potential violation of its legal framework by Barcelona in connection with the Negreira case.
The case concerns payments made by Barcelona between 2001 and 2018 to companies linked to Negreira, who was a senior figure within Spain’s refereeing structure during much of that period.
The total value of the payments has been reported differently depending on which transactions and accounting periods are included, with figures generally cited at more than 7 million euros ($7.9 million) and around 8.4 million euros.
Barcelona has said the payments were connected to legitimate consultancy and refereeing-related services. Prosecutors and critics have questioned why a club maintained such a long-running financial relationship with a person who held a senior position within Spain’s refereeing system.
UEFA’s investigation was already active when Barcelona entered the 2023-24 Champions League. The club was provisionally admitted to UEFA competitions while the inspectors were instructed to continue and finalize their work.
The European governing body has yet to announce a disciplinary decision against Barcelona in the case.
Spanish case remains separate
The UEFA process is running alongside the criminal investigation in Spain, where the Negreira case has remained in the evidence-gathering phase.
A Spanish court rejected an initial bribery allegation in 2024 after determining that Negreira did not meet the legal definition of a public official required for that charge. Other potential offenses connected to the case have continued to be examined.
The central dispute remains whether Barcelona’s payments represented legitimate refereeing consultancy or were connected to an improper effort to influence the refereeing system.
No court has established that Barcelona fixed matches as a result of the payments.
Cristiano Ronaldo left Portugal’s training camp on Wednesday, hours after coach Jorge Jesus said the veteran forward would not start Thursday’s Nations League game against Denmark.
The 41-year-old Ronaldo said he would reveal the reasons for his departure “in time,” promising to tell the Portuguese public “the truth about the reasons” behind his decision.
“Following the national team coach’s news conference, and after a conversation with the president of the Portuguese football federation, I decided to leave the national team’s training camp,” Ronaldo said in an Instagram post, adding that he had always “dedicated” himself to the national team.
“Now is the time to wish good luck to Portugal and to all my teammates, without exception,” he added.
The Portuguese Football Federation confirmed that Ronaldo had left the training camp but provided no further details. It said preparations for the Denmark match would continue with the remaining 24 players in the squad.
“The entire delegation remains fully focused on the national team’s upcoming fixtures and on achieving our goals,” the federation said.
Jesus said at the pregame news conference that he was not planning to start Ronaldo but dismissed the notion that there was a feud between the pair.
Jesus said every player knows the coach makes the decisions and that Ronaldo told him he would abide by whatever choices he made.
The coach added that the “rules are the same for everyone” and that Gonçalo Ramos would start up front against Denmark if everything went to plan.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen in the game,” Jesus said. “If we need him to play at some point, he’ll play. If not, he won’t.”
Ronaldo, the all-time leading scorer in men’s international football with 146 goals and pursuing the milestone of 1,000 career goals, did not play Sunday in Portugal’s 2-1 win over Norway. He has not trained with the rest of the group since, sparking widespread rumors about a possible feud with Jesus.
Jesus had said Al-Nassr forward Ronaldo would train normally with the rest of the squad on Wednesday, but the player left the training camp after the coach’s news conference.
Ronaldo, who has 979 career goals, said recently that this Saudi Pro League season is likely to be the last of his professional career.
Earlier this year, he said the 2026 World Cup would be the last of his career but did not specify when he would stop playing for Portugal.
Jesus, who worked with Ronaldo for about a year in Saudi Arabia, said the player did not refuse to train after being left on the bench against Norway.
“It seems like there was an issue between us, but there was no issue,” Jesus said. “I’m the one who makes the decisions and everybody knows that.”
Jesus acknowledged that he had told Ronaldo he would likely play against Norway but changed his mind because of the circumstances of the match.
He said it was a mistake to send Ronaldo to warm up for as long as he did and then not use him. Jesus added that “any player” would be upset about that.
But Jesus did not apologize for telling Ronaldo that he was likely to play.
“I can promise whatever I want, I’m the coach,” Jesus said. “No player will ever make a decision for me.”
Jesus said, though, that someone with Ronaldo’s stature deserved a different type of attention from coaches “because of his career and history in football.”
Jesus, who took over the squad from Roberto Martínez after the World Cup, said he ended up being “obligated” to have a meeting with Ronaldo because of the noise created in Portugal over the situation.
But he maintained there was no “Ronaldo case” to talk about and nothing to resolve between him and the player because nothing was wrong.
Jesus said it was normal that federation president Pedro Proença also met with the pair.
“We had to talk, the three of us, but I had already talked with Chris and the president didn’t have to solve anything because there was nothing to solve,” Jesus said.
Ronaldo started Portugal’s 1-0 win over Wales last Thursday but was substituted in the 67th minute. On Tuesday, he posted a photo on Instagram of himself wearing the national team kit, accompanied by the country’s flag and a heart emoji.
Portugal leads Group A4 of the Nations League with six points from two matches, three points ahead of Denmark and Norway. Wales is last with no points.
Portugal also hosts Norway on Sunday.
It was not immediately clear whether Ronaldo’s departure would extend beyond the current international break.
Wednesday’s news comes just as Ronaldo’s longtime rival, Lionel Messi, is set for his farewell match with Argentina next week.
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