Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan said Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo had to face a political ban at the Qatar World Cup. International media reported that Erdogan also said that Ronaldo is left unused in an important tournament such as the Qatar World Cup. Portugal lost to Morocco in the quarter-finals of the World Cup by a one-sided goal. Portugal sent Cristiano to play as a substitute in this game.
Cristiano Ronaldo was not included in the starting eleven in the pre-quarter match against Switzerland. Ronaldo, who played in Qatar with the distinction of being the first male player to score a goal in five different World Cups, returned in tears.
‘They wasted Ronaldo. Unfortunately they brought a political ban against Ronaldo. Cristiano Ronaldo is a person who stood with Palestine. He has not yet publicly stated his position on the Israel-Palestine issue.’- said Erdoğan at a youth conference in Turkey’s eastern Erzurum province.
Erdogan also responded that sending a player like Ronaldo to play with only 30 minutes of the game destroys his confidence and energy. Ronaldo leaves English Premier League club Manchester United during the World Cup. He will reportedly join Saudi Arabian club Al Nasr for a fee of 200 million euros.
Cristiano Ronaldo subject to ‘political ban’ from FIFA World Cup 2022: Turkish President Recep Erdogan
