Recep Tayyip Erdogan, president of Turkey, has reportedly said that Portuguese superstar footballer Cristiano Ronaldo was subjected to a ‘political ban’ at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Several media outlets quoted Erdogan as saying that Ronaldo was ‘wasted’ at the marquee event in Qatar. Ronaldo‘s Portugal went out of the quarter-finals at the World Cup after losing to Morocco. The 37-year-old Ronaldo was used as a substitute in that game in which Portugal lost 1-0.
“They have wasted Ronaldo. “Ronaldo is someone who stands for the Palestinian cause.”
The Al Jazeera report also claimed that “Ronaldo has never issued any public statements on the Israel-Palestine conflict.”
Erdogan was also quoted as saying by the Spanish publication Marca, “Sending a footballer like Ronaldo onto the field with only 30 minutes left in the game ruined his psychology and sapped his energy.”
Ronaldo is currently without a club. He exited Premier League club Manchester United ahead of the World Cup.
Read more: https://sports.ndtv.com/fifa-world-cup-2022/cristiano-ronaldo-subjected-to-political-ban-at-fifa-world-cup-2022-turkey-president-recep-erdogan-3640955
