Cristiano Ronaldo has been cleared to play in Portugal's opening World Cup matches after Fifa suspended two games of his three-match ban for violent conduct. The forward was sent off during Portugal's defeat to the Republic of Ireland on 13 November for elbowing defender Dara O'Shea.
Fifa's disciplinary committee commuted the standard three-match ban to a one-game suspension, with the remaining two matches suspended under a one-year probation period. Ronaldo has already served the one-game ban by missing Portugal's final World Cup qualifier against Armenia last week.
The 40-year-old, who was a guest of President Donald Trump at the White House last week, had never been sent off in a senior international fixture before, a record spanning 226 matches. His red card against Ireland was his 14th career dismissal.
Fifa's disciplinary code stipulates a minimum three-match ban for assault, including elbowing. However, under Article 27 of the code, the judicial committee has the option to suspend part of the sanction. A Fifa statement confirmed that if Ronaldo commits a similar offence within the probation period, the suspended matches will be reinstated.
The decision is subject to appeal to Fifa's appeal committee.
