Piers Morgan has called Cristiano Ronaldo’s red card during Portugal’s match against Ireland “ridiculous”. Ronaldo received a red card just after the first hour as his country lost 2-0 in Dublin during a World Cup qualifier.
The Al Nasr forward was given his marching orders for elbowing Irish defender Dara O’Shea at the Aviva Stadium when he was down to 10 men and already trailing by two points. Swedish referee Glenn Nyberg initially waved a yellow card. However, after viewing the incident on a pitchside monitor at the direction of video assistant referee Pol van Boekel, he upgraded the penalty to a red card.
This means the Manchester United legend faces the possibility of missing the opening games of the 2026 World Cup. Morgan, who recently had an extensive interview with Ronaldo, gave his opinion on the 40-year-old’s sacking.
The outspoken broadcaster and presenter gave X a damning review, writing: “It’s ridiculous that Ronaldo was sent off for resisting someone pulling his shirt.” Morgan then posted a video of Lionel Messi confronting an opponent and commented: “Messi did exactly the same thing recently and nothing was done about it.”
Ireland coach Heimir Hallgrimsson spoke about the subsequent sending off, including what Ronaldo said to him after he was sent off. “He[Ronaldo]complimented me for putting pressure on the referee,” Hallgrimsson revealed, “but listen, it had nothing to do with me. It was his actions on the pitch that gave him the red card. As long as I didn’t get to his head, it had nothing to do with me.”
Ronaldo’s sacking means the striker could miss the start of next summer’s World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States. Portugal still has one qualifying match left against Armenia, but a suspension of more than one match would mean Ronaldo would be ruled out of the first match of the transatlantic competition.
The result of the next match between Portugal and Armenia will determine whether Ronaldo will miss the opening match of the World Cup. If Portugal defeats Armenia, they will automatically qualify for next summer’s draw.
However, a draw or loss could force Roberto Martinez’s side to take part in a two-legged play-off for a spot in the tournament. The length of Ronaldo’s suspension is not yet confirmed, but a red card for what is considered violent behavior would normally result in a three-match ban.
