Former Chelsea midfielder Craig Burley has taken aim at FIFA after the governing body cleared Cristiano Ronaldo to play in Portugal’s opening match at the 2026 World Cup.
Reports that Cristiano Ronaldo had been shown a straight red during Portugal’s 2-0 loss to Ireland after elbowing Dara O’Shea away from the ball. The incident initially carried a three-match suspension for violent conduct.
Ronaldo sat out Portugal’s final qualifier against Armenia, yet FIFA later reduced the punishment to a single game, leaving him available for the tournament’s first fixture.
Burley was left furious and accused FIFA of bending their own rules to protect one of football’s biggest names.
Speaking on ESPN FC, he said, “If Gianni Infantino had any shame… because let’s be honest, he’d sell his soul for money, he’s shown that with the Club World Cup and the extended World Cup.
“They have made a mockery of their own disciplinary process, a complete shame. What this says to refs and other professionals is, ‘Maybe you should not send off the big stars, keep it to the guys under the radar because we want these big stars at a major tournament’.”
He questioned why Ronaldo’s punishment was treated so differently, adding, “When have you ever seen any player get a probation after getting sent off for violent conduct. It is a 3-game ban, and that is it, you can’t give someone a three-game ban and tell them you can have two games off.”
Burley argued that any other player would have been forced to serve the full suspension, which would have ruled them out of the early stages of the World Cup. “If that had been any other player…… they would have three-game suspension, and they would have missed the World Cup or the first couple games of the World Cup,” he said.
He concluded that FIFA’s handling of the matter showed clear favouritism. “But for Cristiano Ronaldo, there are different rules, and if FIFA try to tell you anything different, then they are talking absolute nonsense.”
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