From Manchester City's Financial Storm to Ronaldo's Portugal Exit

From Manchester City's Financial Storm to Ronaldo's Portugal Exit: Football's Week of Controversy.

It is no longer news that Manchester City has been found guilty of serious breaches of the Premier League's financial rules. However, this case did not emerge overnight. 

The story first came to light publicly on 6 February 2023, when the Premier League announced that it had referred Manchester City to an independent commission over alleged breaches of its rules. The allegation covered nine seasons, from 2009/10 to 2017/18, and related to the accuracy of the club's financial information, sponsorship revenue, operating costs and other financial matters. 

The Premier League had actually begun its investigation into the club in December 2018, meaning the case had already been under scrutiny for several years before the charges were formally announced. (Premier League Statement). 

Fast-forward to this week and the long-running case finally reached a major turning point. On September 29, 2026, the Premier League confirmed that an independent commission has found Manchester City guilty of the serious financial breaches among the 115 charges originally brought against the club, as well as the majority of the charges relating to its failure to cooperate with the investigation. 

The verdict has reignited one of the biggest debates in English football: what happens when a major club accused of breaking financial rules is finally held accountable?

Minutes after the Premier League announced the commission's findings, Manchester City responded with a statement of its own. In a statement shared by football Journalist Fabrizio Romano, the club said it was “disappointed and surprised” by the commission's opinion and maintained that it was innocent of the accusations. 

City also confirmed that it would pursue the available appeal avenues open to it, on the basis that the opinion contains clear material errors, of law, principle and fact, and is unsafe.  Fabrizio Romano's X post. 

The club's response was followed by an awkward exchange in Copenhagen, where Sky News sports correspondent Rob Harris approached Manchester City  CEO Ferran Soriano and asked him whether he had an apology for the football fans. 

Soriano replied,” I have nothing to say”. Harris kept on questioning him about the commission's findings and the financial-rule breaches involving the club. Soriano repeatedly responded,” Thank you, thank you,“ before walking away from the exchange. 

The exchange also drew praise from some cementers on X, with several describing Harris's questioning as an example of strong journalism.

The fallout from the Manchester City case did not end with the Premier League's verdict. Today, Friday, October 2, 2026, the Football Association (FA) released a statement acknowledging that the independent commission's findings and significant implications it has on the integrity of the game. They said they are carefully considering the decision and its implications and will take action where appropriate. 

This statement was also reported by Fabrizio Romano. The statement does not announce a new punishment or charge against Manchester City, but it leaves open the possibility of further action as the FA reviews the findings. 

While the Manchester City case dominated the headlines, another football story had been building quietly: Cristiano Ronaldo's departure from Portugal's national team camp. This news did not come completely out of the blue. Questions about his international future had been circulating since Portugal's World Cup exit in July. 

Ronaldo also confirmed that he had considered leaving the national team after the tournament. However, after conversations with the Portuguese Football Federation president and his coach, he decided to continue representing Portugal, saying at the time he still believed that he was able to help the national team reach what they wanted. BBC Sport. 

At the time, Ronaldo appeared to be still committed to continuing his international career. But now, the situation took an unexpected turn. So, what changed? 

The immediate events began after Ronaldo was left on the bench during Portugal's 2-1 win over Norway and remained an unused substitute despite warming up. Ronaldo headed to the changing rooms — prompting reports he was unhappy with the manager. Jorge Jesus later confirmed that  Gonçalo Ramos would start ahead of Ronaldo against Denmark on Thursday 1st October 2026. 

He was later questioned by the media if there is a rift between him and Ronaldo, which he denied saying “There was no incident whatsoever”.

He also dismissed the statements saying  Ronaldo had refused to train on Tuesday, and he said Ronaldo had to do individual exercises for “mobility” and “strengthening” but would train as normal on Wednesday. However, the Portuguese media shared a video of Ronaldo leaving Parken Stadium in Denmark alongside two members of the backroom staff.  

Shortly after, he announced his departure from the Portugal National team on Instagram, saying, “ After the National Team coach’s press conference, and following a conversation with the President of the Portuguese Football Federation, I have decided to leave the National Team training camp”. “In due time, I will tell all Portuguese people the truth about the reasons that led to my departure from the national team, to which I have always dedicated myself”.  “Now is the time to wish good luck to Portugal and to all my teammates”. 

This caused a cascade of reactions as fans began to follow the Portugal team's social media channels. Cristiano Ronaldo’s sister Elma Aveiro, also reacted to the situation. She shared a message on Instagram by commenting, “Everything has been said here”. 

 “CR7 deserved more respect. The national team deserved more structure. Portuguese journalism deserved more competence and less speculation. As for the Portuguese people, well . . . they don't deserve to have the best at anything. We are envious, disdainful, ignorant, and we deserve to return to the mediocrity we always had in football before CR7. Thank you for everything, CR7! You deserved more!” as reported by Fabrizio Romano.

Before the Portugal match with Denmark, Jorge Jesus made a statement in an interview with Sport TV, saying, “Nobody can take away what Cristiano represents. He’s an icon, and that’s not in question”. But the Portugal team appear to be moving forward as the No. 7 shirt, which has become synonymous with Cristiano Ronaldo and his famous CR7 identity, was handed to Rafael Leão for Portugal's match against Denmark. 

Ronaldo indicated in his Instagram post that he will explain his reasons 'in due course', leaving fans to wait for his own account of what happened. Until then, the surrounding discussion of Portugal's most significant football figures is unlikely to disappear anytime soon.

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