Richard Keys is stunned by confirmed Cristiano Ronaldo news, sarcastically destroys officials
FIFA have been accused of showing favouritism to Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
During a game in which Premier League-linked Troy Parrott was a hero for the Republic of Ireland, Ronaldo saw himself sent off for an elbow on Ipswich Town‘s Dara O’Shea.
Having initially been shown a yellow card, teasing frustrated Ireland supporters at the Aviva Stadium, the 40-year-old striker was eventually shown a straight red card following a VAR review.
Normally, a player would be suspended for three matches, and that would mean missing the 2026 World Cup for the Portugal star, but Ronaldo’s ban has been reduced to just one game instead.
If he reoffends, the two extra games will be added onto his ban, but football fans around the world are furious with the decision.
Richard Keys lashes out over Cristiano Ronaldo decision
He missed the 9-1 win over Armenia, meaning that the player has already served his punishment and will now be available for Portugal’s opener at the major tournament.
Taking to X (26 November), Richard Keys wrote: “It’s great news that FIFA have bent the rules to get Ronaldo off his ban. Perhaps they should just hand the World Cup to Portugal like they did Salt Bae?
“What happened to the inquiry into how that happened? Anyone heard?” with the presenter clearly furious at the decision to suspend the superstar’s three-match ban.
Portugal will find out their group stage opponents on 5 December, alongside all the other qualified nations, and Ronaldo will be available to face whoever they have in the opening fixture.
What did FIFA say in their announcement?
Explaining the decision in a statement, FIFA said: “If Cristiano Ronaldo commits another infringement of a similar nature and gravity during the probationary period, the suspension set out in the disciplinary decision shall be deemed automatically revoked.
“And the remaining two matches must be served immediately at the next official match(es) of the Portuguese representative team. This is without prejudice to any additional sanctions imposed for the new infringement.”
Lionel Messi also avoided a ban for grabbing an opponent’s neck during an Inter Miami game, with both superstars being shown special treatment due to their impact on the game.
It is a decision that has left many baffled, suggesting that the player can get away with anything just because of his achievements, and he is unlikely to commit another infringement ahead of the tournament.
There have been incidents of star players heading into a major tournament with a suspension, such as Zinedine Zidane in 2002 and Michael Essien in 2006, but that is not likely to happen this time.