Jorge Jesus refuses to apologize amid Cristiano Ronaldo Portugal feud
Portugal boss Jorge Jesus sees no reason to apologize amidst the ongoing drama with Cristiano Ronaldo -Credit:NurPhoto, NurPhoto via Getty Images
Jorge Jesus engaged in a tense confrontation with a reporter and declared he won’t ‘apologize to anyone’ amid an ongoing dispute with Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo. The five-time Ballon d’Or recipient was selected for Jesus’ squad for the current international break before withdrawing from the group and departing on a private jet.
Ronaldo, who represented Manchester United and Real Madrid earlier in his career, issued a statement on social media saying he would reveal the truth about his exit from the camp following a discussion with the Portuguese Football Federation.
The 41-year-old was an unused substitute for the first time in 18 years in their 2-1 win against Norway, triggering an emergency meeting before departing the camp, as per The Mirror.
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During a press conference, Jesus was pressed for additional clarification regarding what transpired with Ronaldo, with questions about whether he’d apologized to Ronaldo. The Portugal manager was surprised by the line of questioning and asked the reporter what he had to apologize for, before stating: "I don’t apologize to anyone!"
Jesus would not elaborate any further about the incident, though did seem to extend an olive branch to Ronaldo when questioned about his future with the national team.
He said: "Cristiano Ronaldo will be called up for the next international break, if he wants to return. It’s his decision. I am ready to call him if he will play with Al-Nassr.
"In my opinion, you can’t hold a one-year friendship against someone over a situation that is difficult to understand.
"Just because it was him, and perhaps rightly so, because he is a symbol, this whole issue of warming up and not warming up, coming on and not coming on, has been created.
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"How many players warmed up today and didn’t come on? How many? Is there going to be a problem with any of them? No."
Jesus had reportedly intended to introduce Ronaldo for the final 30 minutes of Portugal’s fixture against Norway last Sunday, with AC Milan forward Gonçalo Ramos leading the line from the start. However, the former Benfica manager had a change of heart and brought on Francisco Trincão instead, leaving Ronaldo unused on the bench.
The Al-Nassr star reportedly lost his composure, refusing to train before summoning his private jet to collect him from Copenhagen on the eve of their game against Denmark, departing the training camp altogether.
Posting on social media last week, Ronaldo stated: "After the press conference of the national team coach, and following a conversation with the President of the Portuguese Football Federation, I have decided to leave the national team camp.
"In due time, I will tell the truth to all Portuguese people about the reasons that motivated my departure from the national team, to which I have always devoted myself. Now is the time to wish Portugal and all my team-mates good luck, without exception."
Source: sports.yahoo.com — article syndicated from the publisher’s feed; all rights remain with the original publisher.