Ronaldo is currently taking a break from club duties at Al-Nassr, but did not enjoy a happy return to the Portugal national team. He was sent off during Portugal’s 2-0 World Cup qualifying defeat to the Republic of Ireland in Dublin last Thursday for elbowing Irish defender Dara O’Shea. FIFA rules state a three-match suspension be used as punishment in the event of a straight red card. Ronaldo thusly sat out Portugal’s final qualifying encounter against Armenia, which they won 9-0 to book a place at the World Cup. Ronaldo is also in danger of sitting out Portugal’s first two games at the tournament, but the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) is preparing a formal plea to FIFA, hoping to bring the suspension down to a single game – according to A Bola. 

Their argument primarily hinges on three pillars. The first centres on the atmosphere at the Aviva Stadium, which the federation describes as “hostile”.  They argue that it was influenced by Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson’s provocative comments on the eve of the match. Ahead of the game, he suggested Ronaldo had “controlled the referee” during Portugal’s 1-0 win in the reverse fixture last month.

Secondly, the FPF are planning to highlight the physical grappling between O’Shea and Ronaldo leading up to the red card, arguing the striker reacted instinctively after being physically provoked repeatedly inside the box. Finally, they will present Ronaldo’s impeccable disciplinary record at international level. The legendary forward had gone 225 matches without a single red card, which the FPF thinks is compelling evidence that Thursday’s incident was an isolated one and had no malicious intent.Â