Manchester City captain Ruben Dias refused to discuss the uncertainty around the club after they were found guilty of breaching 114 financial fair play regulations.
The Premier League confirmed on Tuesday what had been reported last week; that an independent commission deemed the club had systematically broken the rules with “sham” contracts designed to inflate revenue and reduce costs.
The scale of the deception, reported to have totalled more than £900million, was breathtaking and a number of sanctions now lie on the table. City have continued to deny any wronging and are planning an appeal.
Dias, who is on international duty with Portugal, was asked about the situation ahead of tomorrow’s Nations League game with Denmark but swerved the question.
The central defender said: “I understand the question perfectly, but I won’t comment on anything that is not related to the National Team.”
Dias defends under-fire Ronaldo
Dias was a little more forthcoming when it came to Cristiano Ronaldo and his role in the national team.
Ronaldo has hit the headlines this week after failing to train after being left on the bench for Sunday’s 2-1 win in Norway. The issue has overshadowed the build-up to the game against Denmark and, although boss Jorge Jesus insisted the 41-year-old had not refused to take part in two training sessions, there appears no other logical explanation.
Ronaldo also disappeared straight down the tunnel at the Ullevaal Stadium at the weekend, failing to celebrate the victory with his team-mates. Portugal won the game thanks to a goal from Ronaldo’s replacement Goncalo Ramos but the Al-Nassr striker’s actions have stolen the headlines away from his team-mates.
Asked for his thoughts on the incident, Dias said: “It was a moment of frustration of 10, 15 or 20 seconds. Out of nothing they [the critics] take away his commitment of more than 20 years with our team. In one moment you have this period of frustration and after five minutes we are all celebrating an important victory of our national team.”
There’s no split in the Portugal camp due to Ronaldo – Dias
It is unlikely Ronaldo’s behaviour would have gone down well with the rest of the squad but Dias insisted there was no friction within the group.
He added: “Today you will see in training. You will feel the joy, you will see us smile, you will see us happy. It’s a new cycle. We are all very happy to be diving into this new adventure and we are excited about what’s coming.”
Asked if he had spoken to Ronaldo, he said: “These are moments that happen, as with any other. Tell me a player who has never had a problem with a coach, or a complicated situation, a moment of friction? Who never had a moment of frustration with the coach or with himself? They are natural things that we live. It’s important to know how to move on.”
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