Portugal coach Jorge Jesus said he had read Cristiano Ronaldo’s account of leaving the national team camp but did not address the captain’s allegations.
“I have read the statement. Now, as I do every day, I’ll go to the federation to work and think about the team and the national side,” Jesus told reporters outside his home on Wednesday. His brief response came hours after Ronaldo published a detailed account of his departure.
Ronaldo apologized for leaving the training camp and acknowledged that wearing the captain’s armband could weigh against him in any possible disciplinary decision. He accused the coach of breaking promises on two occasions.
The first concerned Portugal’s match against Norway. Ronaldo warmed up but did not enter the game. He said he had been promised about 30 minutes on the pitch. The second episode involved a news conference before the Denmark match. Ronaldo said Jesus had prepared a document with agreed answers for him, then abandoned the plan.
According to Ronaldo, the decision changed after Jesus met with Al-Nassr sporting director Simon Coutinho and Tiago Craveiro, a former executive director of the Portuguese Football Federation and strategic adviser to Ronaldo’s CR7 company. Jesus did not address those allegations in his first response.