Cristiano Ronaldo accuses Portugal coach Jorge Jesus of broken promises
Forward says he will be available after punishment
Ronaldo insists coach âÂÂhad broken his word to meâÂÂ
Cristiano Ronaldo has accused the Portugal head coach, Jorge Jesus, of twice breaking his word, saying a failed agreement to publicly explain â his omission against Norway drove him out of the camp but insisting he remained available after any punishment.
In a lengthy statement, the 41-year-old gave his â account of the dispute â that prompted his âÂÂdeparture from Copenhagen before PortugalâÂÂs Nations League match against Denmark last week.
Ronaldo said Jesus had agreed a plan under which the forward would â miss the Norway and Denmark matches to manage his fitness. However, on the day of the Norway game, the coach told him he would play for 30 â minutes.
âÂÂEveryone knows the rest. I warmed up from half-time onwards, watched the minutes tick by and wasnâÂÂt called âÂÂon,â Ronaldo said. âÂÂThe manager had broken his âÂÂword to me.âÂÂ
PortugalâÂÂs captain and âÂÂall-time leading scorer said a subsequent meeting with Jesus, attended by his club side Al NassrâÂÂs sporting âÂÂdirector Simao Coutinho, produced an agreement for the coach to clarify events at his next press conference.
According to Ronaldo, an eight-point document was prepared saying he had never demanded playing time, had respected JesusâÂÂs decisions and that the coach asking him to warm up without bringing him on had been a mistake.
Ronaldo said the agreed notes did not require Jesus to apologise to him âÂÂbut said the coachâÂÂs public remarks bore no resemblance to their private discussion.
âÂÂIt was the second time he had broken his word to me,â Ronaldo said. âÂÂI decided âÂÂto leave the training camp without waiting for any further broken promises.âÂÂ
The statement provided RonaldoâÂÂs account but on Sunday, after PortugalâÂÂs win over Norway, Jesus denied he had made any agreement with the player but left the door open for his return.
The Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) did not immediately respond to a request for â comment about RonaldoâÂÂs statement.
Ronaldo apologised for failing to greet supporters after the Norway âÂÂmatch and for leaving his âÂÂteammates, accepting that his captaincy made âÂÂhis conduct more serious. âÂÂThe consequences of my actions must be assessed and punished âÂÂby the Portuguese Football âÂÂFederation,â he said.
Despite âÂÂthe rupture, Ronaldo said âÂÂhe was not limiting his international ambitions to a farewell appearance. âÂÂIf IâÂÂm physically fit, playing for my club â scoring goals, I hope â after serving whatever suspension is imposed on me, IâÂÂll be available, as IâÂÂve always been until now, to compete and win for our national team,â he added.
