Ronaldo, Fifa and the land of the freed
Huge ramifications of the Ronaldo Precedent
The problem about being blinded by Cristiano Ronaldo’s glittering presence and commercial appeal is that Fifa does not see the ramifications of a one-game ban for violent conduct. This should not be about fame. This should be about fairness. Fifa will doubtless ignore the widespread ridicule of the decision. Its president, Gianni Infantino, inhabits a bubble, cut off from the concerned voices of many football lovers. Infantino gives the impression of worrying only what presidents think, not fans. Ronaldo’s presence on the field from the start of the World Cup is great for Fifa, for President Donald Trump, organisers and broadcasters but there are very real consequences. Here are just six of them…
Perception. The World Cup is the greatest sporting show on earth, more dramatic and intense than the Olympics, and the Ronaldo Reprieve brings an unwelcome negative narrative. It just looks cynical. Devotees of other sports, and football agnostics, will look at Fifa bending the rules to get a star on the start line and smile knowingly. The not so beautiful game, the supposed “team” game which now celebrates that some players are more equal than others. How does the Ronaldo Precedent make other players feel? Second-class citizens. But it is good to know that amnesty for red cards kicks in after the 226-game threshold.
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Reputation. This damages Ronaldo himself. He’s done incredible things in football over the past two decades, superhuman things. His career has been built on prodigious, relentless hard work. Michael Carrick talks admiringly of how a young Ronaldo would come in early to training at Manchester United, strap weights to his ankles, and dribble in and out of cones, preparing him for match-day rigours. Ronaldo’s whole career has been about no short-cuts. Until now when Fifa’s granted him one.