😡 CR7 spared for commercial reasons? FIFA storm, Messi case too 🥶 | OneFootball

Cristiano Ronaldo received only a one-match suspension with Portugal (already served against Armenia) for elbowing O'Shea in the match against Ireland.

A decision that will almost certainly allow him to play the first two group stage matches at the USA 2026 World Cup. 

This was made possible thanks to a loophole in article 27 of the FIFA disciplinary code, which allows for "the total or partial suspension of the execution of a disciplinary measure".

CR7 pardoned for commercial reasons?

The usual regulations are clear: a player must be suspended for “at least three matches or an appropriate period for assault, including elbows, punches, kicks, bites, spitting, or blows to an opponent or a person other than a match official”.

A practice that - evidently - was not followed for Cristiano Ronaldo: a figure too important to miss the World Cup inauguration in the USA, according to The Guardian.

The English newspaper also reports FIFA sources: the favorable treatment for CR7 is explained by the fact that it was "only" his first expulsion with Portugal. A choice described as "offensive to the public's intelligence" by The Guardian, given that CR7 has been expelled 12 times with his respective club teams.

The newspaper also reports that the final decision came 12 days after the incident and shortly after a meeting between CR7, Infantino, and Trump at the White House. A coincidence destined to remain such in the statements, but which The Guardian strongly highlights.

The same newspaper does not beat around the bush: "FIFA needs 2026 to be a commercial success in a nation that will require big names to embrace a sport that is not as popular as others".

Interest before merit? The Messi controversy at the Club World Cup

FIFA, moreover, was not exempt from criticism even during the summer Club World Cup, in which Messi's Inter Miami participated despite not having won the 2024 MLS Cup: which was won by LA Galaxy. (In the 2025 edition, Inter Miami was then eliminated in the 1st round).

According to journalist Tom Bogert of ESPN, MLS would have wanted to award the vacant spot to the MLS Cup winner.

Instead, the qualifying team was announced by Infantino at the end of the regular season: an unprecedented choice that fell precisely on Inter Miami. The Times commented on the news: "They needed something to spark broadcasters' interest".

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.

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