Portugal boss Fernando Santos did not include Cristiano Ronaldo in his squad for UEFA Nations League game against Poland and a friendly vs Scotland. Apparently, as per Sky Sport, the Juventus striker is in no mood to represent his country now as he is in the middle of the rape scandal.
It is now believed that an agreement has been reached for the Portuguese icon not to return to international duty until 2019.
Santos, quoted on the website of Portuguese sports newspaper O Jogo, saying: “I personally always support my players and here it is not even a question of solidarity, I believe what the player said publicly, he considers (rape) an abject act and clearly reaffirms that he is innocent of what he is being accused of.
I want to talk about Cristiano Ronaldo for a second.We have enjoyed him in the field for years now.He has worked hard to get to where he is now.He has been accused of rape and now has to sit out of matches.I am not saying anything didn’t happen.I am just saying it’s unlikely. pic.twitter.com/yQ7W4OUHkR
Advertisement— Cameron Ramirez (@TheDunkingNun) October 4, 2018
“There was a conversation with the player, the president of the federation (Fernando Gomes) and I. We agreed that the player would not be in these two call-ups, this and the next one in November.”
He added on the national team’s Twitter: “In the future, nothing prevents Cristiano from giving his contribution to the national team.”
Earlier, Kathryn Mayorga, 34, accused Cristiano Ronaldo of raping her in Las Vegas hotel nine years ago. She claims that the ex-Madrid forward paid her $375,000 to forget about the incident but her lawyer is now investigating the viability of such a settlement.