Article by Alexandru Tomuțiu – Published Wednesday, November 26, 2025, 8:39 p.m. / Updated Wednesday, November 26, 2025, 8:41 p.m.
FIFA's ban on Cristiano Ronaldo, who was sent off in the 2-0 win over Ireland for elbowing defender Dara O'Shea, could still spark plenty of controversy.
The Portugal captain was banned for three matches, but two of those were suspended for a year. This will allow Ronaldo to play in Portugal's debut at the 2026 World Cup after serving a one-match suspension in the match against Armenia that ended the Lusitanians' qualification.
Portugal's opponents can go to CAS
According to abola.pt, Portugal's opponents, who will be determined in the draw scheduled for December 5, could file an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in order to obtain the full application of Ronaldo's suspension.
In addition, other national teams that have suspended players are monitoring the possibility of using the Portuguese captain's example to benefit their own athletes, signaling a possible difference in treatment applied between the cases.
One such case is that of Nicolas Otamendi, the Benfica captain, who was sent off in Argentina's last qualifier, and his federation is in talks with FIFA to try to overturn the punishment.
Another case is that of Armenian captain Tigran Barseghyan, who was also sent off against Ireland in the penultimate stage of the qualifiers, also for unsportsmanlike conduct, as was Cristiano Ronaldo.
