Portugal on Thursday denied reports that veteran forward Cristiano Ronaldo has threatened to leave the Portuguese national team during the ongoing 2022 FIFA World Cup for being benched in the team’s match against Switzerland.
"News released this Thursday reports that Cristiano Ronaldo threatened to leave the national team during a conversation with Fernando Santos, national coach," the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) said in a statement.
"The FPF clarifies that at no time did the captain of the national team, Cristiano Ronaldo, threaten to leave the national team during the internship in Qatar," it added.
All Portugal’s players, coaches, and staff are "fully committed” and "enthusiastic about" Portugal's task in Qatar 2022, it said.
Portugal will face dark horses Morocco in a World Cup quarterfinal clash in Doha on Saturday.
The winning team will play against either England or France in the semifinal stage.
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