Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal captain has been dropped from the country’s squad for their October International game amid rape allegation.
The 33-year-old who has scored 85 times in 154 appearances for his country, will not be selected for the Nations League match against Poland or the friendly against Scotland.
‘In the future, nothing prevents Cristiano from giving his contribution to the national team,’ coach Fernando Santos said in quotes posted on the national team’s official Twitter feed but added he would not be called up for the next round of fixtures either.
According to the coach Santos, the decision was taken after a three-way conversation between him, Ronaldo and the head of the Portuguese FA. But he refused to give details of the conversation, saying the information was private and personal.
This comes a day after Ronaldo issued a strong denial over allegations he sexually assaulted a woman in Las Vegas in 2009.
Kathryn Mayorga, a 34-year-old teacher who was an aspiring model at the time of the alleged assault, claims Ronaldo raped her in a bathroom at the Palms Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas in the early hours of June 13, 2009.
The Juventus forward also missed Portugal’s first two post-World Cup matches last month, with coach Fernando Santos saying Ronaldo had only just moved to the Italian club and needed time to settle in.
Santos used the 33-year-old team captain’s absence last month to try out younger players in the senior side.
