Portugal coach Jorge Jesus had said last week that he would reveal the reasons behind the entire Cristiano Ronaldo episode after the match against Norway, but when a reporter asked him for answers on Sunday, after the home win that sent the team into the Nations League quarterfinals, he lost his cool.
Jesus argued with the reporter, demanding explanations for the entire controversy involving Ronaldo. The subject clearly struck a nerve, with Jesus saying: “I don’t apologise to anyone.”
The coach then questioned why the situation had become such a major issue when similar things happen to players regularly.
“In my opinion, you can’t hold a one-year friendship against someone over a situation that is difficult to understand,” Jesus said.
“Just because it was him. 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.”
Jesus pointed out that a number of players had warmed up during the match against Norway, but not all were substituted on, highlighting that the Ronaldo situation should not be treated differently.
“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,” he said.
The statement came amid ongoing questions about a potential rift between Jesus and Ronaldo, after the 41-year-old abruptly left the Portugal camp in Copenhagen late last month upon learning he would not start against Denmark. He had earlier been benched in the away game against Norway as well, where he even warmed up but was eventually not brought on.
Having previously denied any tension between the two, Jesus indicated that the door remains open for Ronaldo’s potential return to the squad, but left the decision entirely up to the player.
“He will be a call-upable player and will return to the national team,” Jesus said.
Ronaldo, too, had vowed to open up about the entire episode, but has yet to comment.
