Ireland coach Heimir Hallgrimsson says Cristiano Ronaldo was wrong to blame him for the red card he suffered as Portugal fell to a World Cup qualifying defeat on Friday (AEDT).
And in a development that could cause serious Portuguese panic, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner could miss World Cup matches — if Portugal beats Armenia to qualify — as a consequence for the act that saw him cop a straight red.
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Ronaldo exchanged words with Hallgrimsson after being sent off during Portugal’s 2-0 defeat in Dublin.
Ronaldo said before the game that the Ireland coach had tried to put pressure on the referee by telling the officials not to be influenced by the superstar striker.
With his team trailing by two goals in the second half, the 40-year-old was frustrated and elbowed Dara O’Shea in the back as the Ireland player marked him in the box.
Ronaldo was initially sanctioned with a yellow card, but Swedish referee Glenn Nyberg upgraded it to a straight red after a VAR review of the incident.
FIFA regulations state that suspensions for violent conduct not served during qualifiers are automatically transferred to the World Cup finals.
Thus — while far more unlikely than likely — if Ronaldo is on the receiving end of a two-match or longer ban, he would be forced to serve it in the tournament — which will be hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada next June.
“He complimented me with putting pressure on the referee but listen, it had nothing to do with me, it was his action on the pitch that cost him a red card,” Hallgrimsson told reporters.
“It had nothing to do with me unless I got into his head.” He added: “This was just a moment of a little silliness for him I would say.”
After his first red card while playing for his country Ronaldo will not be available for Monday’s match against Armenia, where Portugal aims to seal passage to next summer’s tournament.
“It’s difficult for a player like Cristiano to be in the penalty area,” said Portugal coach Roberto Martinez.
“He had constant contact with the defenders, who were grabbing him. There was no violence — he tried to push them away.”
Originally published as ‘Moment of silliness’: Cristiano Ronaldo meltdown as crowd turns on star
