Cristiano Ronaldo set to avoid ban at World Cup after FIFA red-card verdict offers probation

GENEVA (AP) – Cristiano Ronaldo will likely avoid missing any Portugal games at the World Cup despite his red card in a qualifying game for elbowing an Ireland opponent.

FIFA published a disciplinary verdict Tuesday that imposed a three-game ban, which judged Ronaldo’s action as “violent conduct” or “serious foul play,” but with two of those games deferred for a one-year probation period.

Ronaldo served a mandatory one-game ban when Portugal played its final qualifying game last week – a 9-1 win over Armenia that sealed its place at the World Cup in North America.

The superstar had been expected to be banned for at least one more game and start what will be his record sixth World Cup on the sidelines.

FIFA cited its disciplinary rules that allow for parts of a sanction to be probationary, though it is rare in cases of a three-game ban for two of them to be deferred.

In two cases judged by FIFA this month, players from Armenia and Burundi were banned for three games after getting red cards for acts of aggression in World Cup qualifying games and neither got a reduction on probation.

“If Cristiano Ronaldo commits another infringement of a similar nature and gravity during the probationary period,” FIFA said in a statement, then the remaining two games will be activated.

FIFA has disciplinary authority over national-team games and Portugal is scheduled to play two friendly matches in March, then likely one or two warmup games in late-May or June. The World Cup co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico starts June 11.

Ronaldo swung an arm and struck Ireland defender Dara O’Shea with an elbow during a 2-0 loss in Dublin two weeks ago.

The FIFA verdict comes one week after Ronaldo met U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House for a formal dinner with Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohammed bin Salman. FIFA president Gianni Infantino also attended the event and posed for a selfie photo with Ronaldo.

Ronaldo has played in the Saudi league for three years at one of the clubs majority owned by the kingdom’s sovereign wealth Public Investment Fund that the prince chairs. Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 World Cup and has been a major financial backer of FIFA in the past two years.

FIFA said its disciplinary verdict of “the three-match suspension is subject to appeal to the FIFA Appeal Committee.”

It was unclear who could have legal standing to challenge the verdict, and if that might be the soccer federation of Ireland or Portugal’s opponents at the World Cup.

Trump is due to attend the draw ceremony Dec. 5 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., where Portugal, one of the 48-team tournament’s top seeds, will learn its three opponents in a round-robin group.