In the UEFA Euro Qualifiers, the Republic of Ireland took on Portugal. Cristiano Ronaldo was shown a red card after committing an elbowing foul on John O’Shea during the match.
FIFA has officially announced that Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo has been handed a 3-match ban for an elbowing incident during World Cup qualifying, but the final 2 matches of the ban have been suspended for a one-year probation period. This means the superstar will not miss any of Portugal’s World Cup group stage games next summer.
The incident occurred in Portugal’s penultimate World Cup qualifier against the Republic of Ireland. In an off-the-ball situation, Ronaldo was shown a straight red card by the referee for elbowing opposing player Dara O’Shea. Under the rules, a red card automatically triggers a 1-match ban, which already saw him miss Portugal’s final qualifier against Armenia.
However, after further review, FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee deemed Ronaldo’s elbowing incident to be of a more serious nature and extended the initial ban to 3 matches. Fortunately, the committee also made a "suspension" decision: of the extended 3-match ban, the final 2 will be deferred for a one-year probation period. As long as Ronaldo does not commit any "violations of a similar nature" within the next year, these 2 matches will be automatically revoked, allowing him to avoid the risk of suspension during the World Cup proper.
