Pedro Proença, the president of the Portuguese Football Federation, traveled urgently to Malmö to resolve the dispute between Cristiano Ronaldo, the star of Saudi Arabia's Al-Nassr, and Jorge Jesus, the head coach of the Portugal national team.
Cristiano Ronaldo remained on the bench during Portugal's 2-1 victory over Norway in the UEFA Nations League, before missing his national team's training session.
Crisis in the Portugal national team due to Ronaldo
The Spanish newspaper "Sport," citing Portuguese media, reported that an emergency meeting has been scheduled in Malmö, bringing together head coach Jorge Jesus, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Pedro Proença, the president of the Portuguese Football Federation.
Portugal is set to face Denmark tomorrow, Thursday, at Parken Stadium in Copenhagen, in the third round of the UEFA Nations League.
When asked by reporters at the press conference whether he would have a problem sitting on the bench for the national team, Ronaldo said: "I am here to help, whether I play or not. I am one of the group; it has always been so and will remain so. I repeat: I will do what the coach asks of me, whether playing, coming on as a substitute, or even not playing. The honor of representing Portugal is greater than anything else."
However, when the Portugal national team arrived in Malmö, Sweden, yesterday, the disagreement between Ronaldo and Jesus became apparent following his placement on the bench. "The Don" arrived at Eleda Stadion 30 minutes before the start of training but decided to return to the hotel after a brief conversation with the coach.
The Portuguese Football Association officially justified the decision, stating that Malmö club's facilities did not contain the necessary equipment for Ronaldo to conduct individual training sessions.
After the training session ended, Jorge Jesus denied any conflict with his player, but hours later, Portuguese media indicated that the president of the Portuguese Football Federation had urgently changed his schedule to resolve the dispute between the two.
