Portugal’s head coach, Jorge Jesus, has agreed to call an emergency meeting with Cristiano Ronaldo in a bid to bring to an end the crisis and save the captain’s international career.
As reported by Portuguese newspaper A Bola, Jesus has agreed to the mediation of the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF), and now administrators are patiently awaiting a decision from Ronaldo on whether or not he is prepared to involve himself.
The move comes after a tempestuous week which had seen Ronaldo depart Portugal’s camp in Copenhagen on Wednesday after meeting with FPF boss Pedro Proene.
Ronaldo, who has yet to retire from international football, later indicated that he would reveal the reasons for his departure “at the right time”.
According to reports, the bust up started when Ronaldo was an unused sub in Portugal’s 2-1 win over Norway on 27 September, despite having been on the pitch during the second half.
Proena met with Ronaldo and Jesus individually before the forward departed camp and flew on a private plane to Madrid.
Later Portugal beat Denmark 4-2 even without their team leader, as Joo Cancelo, Gonalo Ramos, Vitinha and Joo Flix netted.
Speaking about Ronaldo’s affair later, Jesus dubbed the Ronaldo incident as “a sealed deal”. The upcoming meeting, therefore, might now be used as a good time for healing of the wounds.
The focus will be on whether Ronaldo is willing to embrace the mediation and whether the process can kick-start a potential return to Portugal’s team.
