Will Cristiano Ronaldo retain captain's armband for Portugal after fury against Serbia?
Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the greatest modern-day footballers who hails from Portugal. Besides numerous success at the club level, he has made a tremendous impact on the international level, having led Portugal to international title success.
FollowPortuguese football sensation Cristiano Ronaldo continues to write his legacy with his glorious performances. Be it at the club or international level, Ronaldo has never shied away from making a considerable impact, thus justifying his tag of being a modern-day great.
What happened?
Recently, Ronaldo has been in the news for a controversial reason. He had walked off the pitch during Portugal's FIFA World Cup qualifier clash against Serbia, during which the referee had controversially denied his late winner.
As he was protesting, he also threw his captain's armband in the process. Consequently, it has drawn the flak of some critics and pundits, who have slammed the Portuguese for disrespecting his role, besides asserting that a player of his calibre should have handled things professionally.
Ronaldo's captaincy?
As a result, questions are being asked if Ronaldo would continue to lead Portugal in the future and retain the captain's armband. On the same note, Portuguese head coach Fernando Santos has affirmed that Ronaldo would "forever" keep the role.
ALSO READ: Was Cristiano Ronaldo's reaction following Portugal's disallowed goal against Serbia acceptable?
Coach's statement
"Yes, he will keep the armband. Forever. Cristiano is a national example. If he had offended the manager, his team-mates or the federation in a careless attitude, we would have to address the situation. But, nothing like that happened," reports Goal.
"It was a moment of huge frustration. And, we are talking about an unbeatable player when it comes to his eagerness to win. Nobody will say now that his reaction was beautiful, but there's no point to discuss if Cristiano should remain the captain. That's something I want to be very clear about," he added.
Referee's take
Meanwhile, FIFA referee Danny Makkelie, who was officiating during Portugal's clash against Serbia, issued an apology to the Portuguese side, admitting his mistake. "All I can say is that I said sorry to the coach and the team about what happened. As a refereeing team, we always work hard to make the right decisions. When we are in the news for a reason like this, it doesn't make us happy at all," he pronounced.
Why no technology?
While fans were vocal about why the Goal-line Technology or Video Assistant Referee was not in place to make the call, the Union of European Football Associations explained that the pandemic delayed the process to implement the same. "The decision to use goal-line technology for the European Qualifiers lies with the host association for each match. If the host association plans to implement goal-line technology, they must also obtain written consent from the visiting association for it to be used," explained UEFA.
