A stab in the back: the truth about the plot by Portugal's stars to oust Ronaldo!

A major shock

Reports have swirled about a plot by Portugal's stars to force captain Cristiano Ronaldo out of the current camp. The real crisis, though, came from the direction of new coach Jorge Jesus.

A fiery row has blown up over the past few days. Ronaldo walked out of the Portugal camp in protest at being sidelined, accusing Jesus of breaching the agreement between them over game time, before his coach spoke out after the clash with Norway.

Read also: After Al-Juwayr's suspension: a stern message rocks the Saudi Arabia national team camp

Portuguese journalist Pedro Sepulveda set the record straight on the Saudi programme "Al-Montasaf", insisting that "what is being circulated about the existence of a conspiracy by the Portugal players against Ronaldo has no basis in truth".

He stressed that "the stars of the Portugal national team were trying to learn from Ronaldo and to stay by his side, but what happened is nothing but a problem that Jesus manufactured to get rid of the Madeira rocket".

Recent press reports suggest the Portuguese Football Federation want to reach out to Ronaldo to end the dispute and arrange a farewell match to close out his international career.