Cristiano Ronaldo is virtually untouchable on the pitch — until he shoves an official, which will probably get him suspended from action.
UPDATE (8/14): Well, that didn’t take long. Little more than 12 hours after it happened, reports are already surfacing that Ronaldo has been banned for five games following his actions on Sunday.
There isn’t a more popular or powerful footballer in the world than Cristiano Ronaldo. Like Lionel Messi, he’s going to side step the long arm of tax laws proving that his untouchable nature extends beyond the pitch.
But not everything he does is justified, defensible or without consequence. During Sunday’s Super Cup (or Supercopa, for people who know football) match between Real Madrid and Barcelona, Ronaldo was sent off following a second yellow card on the night. The first came when he tore his shirt off while celebrating a goal, which meant the yellow card he received for diving later in the match turned into a red.
While being sent off, Ronaldo shoved the official who drew the red card. It wasn’t an accidental action made in the midst of protest — he straight up shoved another man in the back with malice.
Just watch:
Even for someone as otherworldly as Ronaldo, there are consequences for things like this. While it wasn’t extreme, the malicious intent of the shove will more than likely result in a suspension for the Real Madrid star. The question is just a matter of when will it be levied and how long will it be?
He’s already disqualified from the second leg of the Real Madrid-Barcelon Supercopa showdown, but that’s a default. Once he drew the second yellow, he was being sent off not only for the remainder of that match but the next one as well.
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It’s the shove of the official that will likely extend that disqualification beyond the mandatory. The book might not get thrown at the best footballer in Europe, but an example will still be made despite the power Ronaldo holds.