Football Daily | Cristiano Ronaldo gets called back from the Naughty Step in the nick of time

Cristiano Ronaldo's Return from "Naughty Step" a Sham: FIFA's Shameless Double Standard

The decision by FIFA to lift Cristiano Ronaldo's suspension just days after he received a red card for violent conduct has left many questioning the competence of the governing body. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner was issued with a standard three-match ban, but two of those games have now been suspended by the Disciplinary Committee for a "one-year probation period".

The move is nothing short of baffling, given that Ronaldo's previous good conduct seems to be the only factor considered in his case. In stark contrast, Armenian midfielder Tigran Barseghyan received a similar red card in almost identical circumstances but was handed a three-match ban.

Barseghyan has since sat out two internationals and will miss his nation's next competitive match, while Ronaldo gets to return to action without missing a game. It is a stark reminder of FIFA's double standard when it comes to treating players from different countries.

The decision also raises questions about the credibility of FIFA's disciplinary process. How can we trust that similar punishments will not be handed out in future cases? The lack of transparency and consistency from the governing body is alarming, especially given their track record of making questionable decisions.

The suspension was issued after Ronaldo was sent off during a defeat against the Republic of Ireland, but he has since spoken about his regret over the incident. His reaction appears to have been genuine, which may explain why his punishment was reduced.

In any case, it's hard not to feel that Ronaldo got away with something here. The fact that FIFA chose to suspend only two games of his ban suggests that they are trying to appease him, rather than uphold justice.

This decision also raises questions about the favoritism shown by FIFA towards certain players and countries. It is a worrying trend that undermines the integrity of the sport.

OMG like seriously what r going on w/ fifa?? cristiano ronaldo gets away w/ this 3-match ban & it's just not right . i mean he got sent off 4 violent conduct but now he's getting a 'probation period' & plays all his games . tigran barseghyan who also got sent off in similar circumstances gets a 3-match ban & misses 2 internationals . it's like fifa is showing favoritism to ronaldo w/ his country Portugal . i dont get why they can't be consistent w/ punishments . its so frustrating as a fan .

I'm so done with this whole thing . I mean, come on FIFA! You're supposed to be the governing body of football, not some puppet master controlling which players get favors . Barseghyan got a similar red card and now he's out for two internationals while Ronaldo gets to return without even missing one game? It's like you're playing favorites .

I've been following this whole saga and I gotta say, it just smells of bias . You guys need to get your act together and make some real changes before this sport loses all credibility . Three years ago, Ronaldo would've gotten a longer ban for this same offense . It's not like he's the first player to commit a foul in an important game... wait, actually, he might be because of that whole thing .

Anyway, I just hope you're listening to all the criticism and make some concrete changes soon or else we'll see more players (and fans) losing trust in this governing body .

I mean, come on... two years ago Ronaldo gets red card for same thing Barseghyan got last week & he's back playing in 2 weeks, while Barseghyan misses like 3 games... what's up with this?! FIFA's gotta do better than this... transparency is key! And it's not just about Ronaldo, all those countries from Europe are getting favorable treatment... I'm starting to think they're more worried about image than justice...

OMG you guys! This FIFA thingy is getting out of hand . I mean, Cristiano Ronaldo gets away with like literally nothing after being sent off for violent conduct, but Tigran Barseghyan from Armenia gets hit with a three-match ban? What's up with that?! It's all about who you know and which country you rep, right? Ronaldo was super apologetic about his actions, but still... I get it, he's a superstar, but FIFA should be more consistent. Can't trust 'em at all anymore . This double standard is just not cool, fam .

I'm so done with all this sports drama . I mean, Cristiano Ronaldo's suspension was already a bit shady, but now it seems like FIFA just gave him a free pass . I get that he apologized and said he regretted his actions, but still... three matches down the drain for Tigran Barseghyan? That's just not right .

I remember when Ronaldo got into that whole Ronaldo-gate scandal with that girl in 2010 . He was given a pretty sweet deal after that, and now it seems like he's getting off easy again . And what really gets me is that FIFA is always saying how they want to improve the game, but when it comes down to it, they're just playing by their own rules ️.

It's like they have a bias towards certain countries or players... it's not right . And what about all the other players who are getting in trouble for similar offenses? Why aren't they getting the same treatment? It's just not fair .

Ugh I'm so done with FIFA's double standards rn! They're basically saying Cristiano Ronaldo is above the law lol . Like, Tigran Barseghyan gets a similar red card and still gets hit with a three-match ban while Ronaldo just gets to come back from his "naughty step" with barely any consequences? What's going on here?! FIFA needs to get its act together and be more transparent about their decisions. This lack of consistency is SO frustrating! And can we talk about how Ronaldo's reaction seems so genuine, but still gets him a slap on the wrist? It just feels like they're trying to protect his reputation over justice .

OMG this decision is just soooo shady it's like they're trying to protect CR7 but what about fairness? Tigran Barseghyan got the same red card in almost identical circumstances and he's getting hammered ️ meanwhile Ronaldo gets a slap on the wrist I'm not saying CR7 didn't regret his actions but come on, FIFA needs to get its act together this double standard is just ridiculous

omg what's going on with fifa lol they're literally giving cr7 a break after he gets sent off in a game but then tigran barseghyan gets hit with a 3-match ban for basically doing the same thing? that's just wild i mean we all know cr7 is a superstar and has a certain level of influence, but come on fifa can't you just hand out punishments based on the rules instead of playing favorites? it's like they're trying to appease him or something...i don't get it anyway, this whole thing just feels super shady

i mean, come on ... this whole thing just smells like a fix job to me . like, ronaldo gets sent off for something that clearly wasn't his fault, but because he's a superstar, they're gonna let him off with a slap on the wrist? two games suspended instead of three? it's like fifa is trying to protect its favorite player . and don't even get me started on the inconsistency - barseghyan gets the same red card and gets hit with a full ban, but ronaldo gets special treatment because he's from europe . it just doesn't add up, you know?

I think this whole thing just smells like a big PR move . I mean, Ronaldo's already a global superstar, he's got a huge following, and now you're suspending him for one game? That's not even punishment, it's just a slap on the wrist . And two out of three games get suspended? It's like FIFA is saying 'oh, we'll let Cristiano off with this one' .

But what about Tigran Barseghyan? He gets a similar red card and a three-match ban, that's consistent, right? Wrong . That just shows FIFA is not bothered to apply the same rules to everyone. It's like they're choosing who to favor and who to punish based on their star power .

This whole thing is just a mess. I don't know how we can trust FIFA's disciplinary process anymore . They need to get their act together, make sure everyone is held to the same standard, and stop playing favorites . Otherwise, it's going to damage the integrity of the sport big time .

I'm low-key fuming about this whole Cristiano Ronaldo thing FIFA's being super shady here. Like, one guy gets a red card for violent conduct and suddenly becomes a good boy? The fact that Tigran Barseghyan got a similar ban but had to sit out two games is just wild. It's like they're showing favoritism towards Ronaldo just because he's a superstar.

And let's be real, the lack of transparency in FIFA's disciplinary process is super concerning. I mean, how can we trust that they'll make fair decisions moving forward? This whole thing just feels like a slap in the face to players who actually follow the rules.

Ronaldo may have been genuinely sorry for his actions, but that doesn't change the fact that he broke the rules and got punished. It's not about being harsh or strict, it's about being consistent. FIFA needs to get their act together before they lose credibility altogether

I'm still fuming about this, dude ! Like, what's going on with FIFA?! One day Ronaldo gets suspended for 3 games, next thing you know he's back playing in like, a month? Meanwhile Tigran Barseghyan gets hit with the same red card and is out for 2 internationals. It's just not fair, man.

I mean, I've seen some shady decisions from FIFA before, but this one takes the cake. The lack of transparency and consistency is just mind-boggling. And don't even get me started on the whole "appeasing Ronaldo" thing... it's like they're more concerned with their reputation than doing what's right.

It's just not how sports governance should work, you know? They need to step up their game and show some consistency. This is just a slap in the face to all the fans who care about fair play.

I'm not surprised to see Ronaldo getting off scot-free . Did you know that in 2023, there was a study showing that players from top-tier leagues receive 70% fewer red cards than those from lower-ranked divisions? It's like FIFA is giving preferential treatment to the big boys.

On a related note, have you seen the stats on player suspensions over the past decade? In 2015, 64% of players received a suspension for yellow or red cards, but by 2020 that number had dropped to 46%. It's like they're trying to water down the discipline.

And what about the lack of consistency in punishments? A quick glance at the data shows that in 2022, only 22% of players received a suspension for violent conduct. Meanwhile, in 2023, that number jumped to 35%. It's like they're trying to keep up with the Joneses.

I'm not saying Ronaldo didn't deserve some punishment, but it seems like FIFA is just trying to make an example out of him. The fact that Barseghyan got a similar red card and was handed a three-match ban shows that there's no real consistency in their disciplinary process.

Here are the stats on player suspensions over the past five years:

* 2022: 22% of players received a suspension for violent conduct
* 2023: 35%
* 2019: 28%
* 2018: 24%
* 2017: 20%

It's clear that FIFA is trying to do damage control, but it just ends up looking like they're being inconsistent.

I think what's really bothering me here is how it feels like Ronaldo just got a slap on the wrist because he's a super famous player. Like, come on, if Tigran Barseghyan gets a 3-match ban for basically the same thing, why can't Cristiano get one too? It's not fair to him or his fans. And what's up with FIFA being all secretive and stuff about their decision-making process? It feels like they're just making it up as they go along.

I'm telling ya, this whole thing just reeks of favoritism . I mean, come on, Ronaldo gets a slap on the wrist after being sent off during a game and then suddenly his suspension gets halved? It's like he was always going to get off scot-free anyway . And don't even get me started on how Tigran Barseghyan got hit with a longer ban for basically doing the same thing .

It's like FIFA wants Ronaldo to be happy, and that's it . They're not concerned about doing what's right or upholding the rules - they just want to keep their friends in the sport happy . It's a sad state of affairs when you can't even trust the disciplinary process anymore .

I'm so frustrated with this whole thing ... like, I get it if CR7 is genuinely sorry, but shouldn't his actions still have consequences? And what's up with the different punishments for players from different countries? It's just not fair . Tigran Barseghyan got hit with a 3-match ban for almost the same thing as Ronaldo and he gets to sit out two internationals, but CR7 only misses two games of his ban? That's wild . And FIFA's all secretive about their decisions, it's like they're hiding something ... I need more transparency from them, you know? This whole thing just feels like a mess .

I'm really disappointed in this one . I think it's a total sham that they're giving Ronaldo a slap on the wrist after just a few days. It's like they didn't even bother to look at the footage or consider all the facts before making their decision. And to compare him to Barseghyan, who got a similar ban but has been punished much harsher? It's just not right .

I'm also super frustrated with FIFA's lack of transparency and consistency. They need to be more honest with us about how they're making these decisions and what we can expect from the future. This whole thing just reeks of favoritism and a total disregard for justice ️. Ronaldo might have apologized, but that doesn't mean he gets to skate free .

It's actually kind of disheartening to see FIFA making decisions like this when we need them to be more accountable and fair . I just hope they take a hard look at their processes and make some serious changes soon

omg what a joke fifa is all about fixin matches for the big stars i mean whats next gonna be ronaldo gettin a free pass to win the world cup

omg u gotta believe fifa r really struggling 2 keep it straight rn lol christiano ronaldo gets away with gettin a red card & now he's back in action w/o even missin a game? that's some wild double standard fam! & can we talk about tigran barseghyan? same situation, but he got hit w/ a 3-match ban. what's up w/ that?!? ronaldo's "regret" prob helped him wriggle outta trouble & now ppl r wonderin if fifa's all about appeasin certain players & countries... like, wut even is goin on here?!