Cristiano Ronaldo's 36th birthday may have been the only thing that could bring some levity to a FIFA disciplinary hearing that has been consistently criticized for its blatant favoritism towards Portugal's international superstar.
It emerged yesterday that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner had his three-match ban reduced to just 90 days on probation, following an investigation into a red card incident during a loss to Ireland in March. Ronaldo had served one game of his suspension while missing Portugal's next two group-stage matches at the World Cup.
In an apparent snub, however, fellow players Tigran Barseghyan and Nicolás Otamendi received similar punishments for their own violent conduct incidents against Irish opponents. Armenia midfielder Barseghyan was docked three matches without playing any of them after being sent off in Dublin last year, while Argentina defender Otamendi sat out a pair of international fixtures earlier this season.
Football Daily has long argued that Ronaldo's treatment by FIFA is a prime example of the governing body's apparent obsession with appeasing one of the sport's biggest stars. And now it seems that even a reduced ban may not be enough to quell the criticism, as Portugal are now likely to miss some top talent in the coming days.
The news also has implications for Spain and Argentina's World Cup draw on Wednesday, with both countries set to avoid each other until at least the quarterfinals. The seedings will be determined by a points-per-game system, with England also guaranteed a spot in the knockout stages unless they're knocked out by one of the top two seeds.
But as exciting as that is for neutrals, many football fans will be more concerned about how this latest Ronaldo controversy affects the rest of the tournament. Can we really trust FIFA to make fair decisions when it seems like Cristiano's birthday can get him an almost-free pass?
It emerged yesterday that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner had his three-match ban reduced to just 90 days on probation, following an investigation into a red card incident during a loss to Ireland in March. Ronaldo had served one game of his suspension while missing Portugal's next two group-stage matches at the World Cup.
In an apparent snub, however, fellow players Tigran Barseghyan and Nicolás Otamendi received similar punishments for their own violent conduct incidents against Irish opponents. Armenia midfielder Barseghyan was docked three matches without playing any of them after being sent off in Dublin last year, while Argentina defender Otamendi sat out a pair of international fixtures earlier this season.
Football Daily has long argued that Ronaldo's treatment by FIFA is a prime example of the governing body's apparent obsession with appeasing one of the sport's biggest stars. And now it seems that even a reduced ban may not be enough to quell the criticism, as Portugal are now likely to miss some top talent in the coming days.
The news also has implications for Spain and Argentina's World Cup draw on Wednesday, with both countries set to avoid each other until at least the quarterfinals. The seedings will be determined by a points-per-game system, with England also guaranteed a spot in the knockout stages unless they're knocked out by one of the top two seeds.
But as exciting as that is for neutrals, many football fans will be more concerned about how this latest Ronaldo controversy affects the rest of the tournament. Can we really trust FIFA to make fair decisions when it seems like Cristiano's birthday can get him an almost-free pass?
I'm still not buying into all this. 90 days on probation? It sounds like a slap on the wrist to me. I mean, Ronaldo's already been given some major breaks in the past, and now this? It just doesn't add up. What about fairness? What about consistency? If he's getting away with this stuff, what's to stop other players from doing the same? 
And don't even get me started on how it's gonna affect Portugal's chances in the tournament. They're already struggling without Ronaldo, and now they gotta deal with all these doubts about fairness? Not exactly the boost they needed. 
. It's always some player or another getting a slap on the wrist for their behavior, and you never see anyone else held accountable 
. Meanwhile, some other country's player gets a 3-match ban and suddenly everyone's talking about "favoritism" 
. Can we just have one fair hearing without Ronaldo's birthday being the only thing that matters? 
I feel so frustrated and disappointed for all the players who got unfairly punished by FIFA 
. What if this sets a precedent that other players will get special treatment too? 
his suspension was already pretty light, but 90 days on probation is still crazy. what about the principle? doesn't that matter at all? 
. It just seems like FIFA is too soft on CR7, you know? Like, I get it, he's a superstar and all that, but come on! The rest of us have to deal with the consequences of our actions, so why should Ronaldo be treated differently? 
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And another thing, how can FIFA be fair when they're already being so biased towards Portugal? It's like they have a soft spot for him. I don't think this is right at all... 
Now it feels like FIFA's just playing favorites again. It's so frustrating. Can't they just make one fair decision without Ronaldo's birthday being involved? 
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, 90 days probation is still pretty harsh considering he only missed a game and a half 
), but it's just funny how FIFA always seems to go easy on him when it comes down to it 
. And what's up with the punishment disparity between him and Barseghyan? That guy got a pretty sweet deal too, almost like they're trying to make an example out of someone else 
... I guess 
it's like he gets a birthday party and everyone else has to sit in the corner 
Tigran Barseghyan and Nicolás Otamendi got similar punishments for less serious incidents, but Ronaldo's 36th birthday was like a free pass