Portugal FA seek FIFA leniency after Cristiano Ronaldo's red card vs Ireland

Portugal FA are all set to file an appeal to FIFA in defense of National team skipper Cristiano Ronaldo after his sending off against Ireland, as per reports. The 40-year-old was given his marching orders in the second half of the FIFA World Cup qualifier as his side faced 2-0 defeat on Thursday.

Portuguese outfit A bola has disclosed that the head of the Portugal Football Association, Pedro Proenca, has reached out to FIFA to talk about the case of Cristiano Ronaldo. They will aim to have his punishment for his red card limited to only one game as opposed to the three he may miss for violent conduct.

In a recent report through the Irish Independent, Proenca and the FA will request for Clemency for the Al-Nassr forward using three points. They will point to the influence of the pre-game comments of Ireland head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson as having swayed the referee's decision to send off Ronaldo.

They will also point to the initial contact from Dara O'Shea as having provoked him, as they will point to his first red card in international football.

Cristiano Ronaldo acted to an off-the-ball push in the penalty area from O'Shea by throwing an elbow into his back and sending him to the floor. He was shown a yellow card at first but it changed to red after a VAR review.

Ronaldo is suspended for Portugal's game against Armenia in their qualifier for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. He could see his ban extended by two matches if he is found guilty of violent conduct, and this will cause him to miss the start of the Mundial next summer.

Red cards Ronaldo has received with Real Madrid, Manchester United, and more

Ronaldo has received four Red cards during his time with Manchester United. Two of those came in derbies against Manchester City. At Real Madrid, he has been sent off six times. Twice of those came in finals; one in the 2012-13 Copa del Rey against Atletico Madrid and another in the Super Cup against FC Barcelona in 2017. 

The Portuguese icon was sent off once during his time in Juventus when he received a Red card against Valencia in 2018. Additionally, he was given a Red card with Al Nassr in the derby against Al Hilal last year in the Super Cup.