The Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) is preparing a submission to FIFA to ensure Cristiano Ronaldo is not suspended for more than one match following his sending off against the Republic of Ireland, a source within the organisation told Lusa on Saturday.

The appeal, being drafted with the direct involvement of FPF president Pedro Proença, is designed to protect Ronaldo from missing the start of the 2026 World Cup. It centers on three main points: the pre-match atmosphere created by the Irish coach, the nature of the incident itself, and Ronaldo’s spotless disciplinary record, having never been sent off while playing for Portugal until now.

The federation highlighted comments made by Republic of Ireland coach Heimir Hallgrimsson, who accused Ronaldo of influencing the refereeing during Portugal’s 1-0 victory at Alvalade. According to the FPF, these remarks “created a clearly and demonstrably hostile environment around the national team captain.”

Regarding the sending-off incident, the FPF argues that Ronaldo was repeatedly held in the penalty box and acted out of frustration when he elbowed Irish defender Dara O’Shea.

The federation also emphasized Ronaldo’s clean record, noting that his dismissal in the 61st minute in Dublin marked “the first time Cristiano Ronaldo had ever been sent off in over 200 appearances for the national team, which is truly remarkable and demonstrates his consistently exemplary conduct.”

“The FPF is confident that these arguments constitute sufficient mitigating factors to convince FIFA that Ronaldo does not deserve a suspension longer than one match,” the source added.

Ronaldo was released from national team duties on Friday, ahead of Portugal’s upcoming clash with Armenia in Porto on Sunday, the sixth and final round of Group F qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.

If Ronaldo receives a suspension of more than one match and Portugal qualifies directly, he could miss games at the 2026 World Cup, scheduled from June 11 to July 19 in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

On Thursday in Dublin, Ronaldo received a straight red card from Swedish referee Glenn Nyberg following an incident with O’Shea, marking his first sending-off in 226 matches for Portugal.

In a pivotal match where Portugal aimed to secure their ninth and seventh consecutive World Cup qualification, they were defeated 2-0 by the Republic of Ireland, thanks to a brace from Troy Parrott.