Former England defender, Rio Ferdinand, has warned Portugal head coach Jorge Jesus that he could lose his job unless he apologises publicly over his handling of the ongoing dispute involving captain Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ferdinand, who played alongside Ronaldo at Manchester United, made the remarks while discussing the growing tension between the Portugal star and Jesus on his “Rio Ferdinand Presents” podcast.
The former defender said the coach needed to acknowledge that he had mishandled the situation and take responsibility for his actions.
“The coach has to apologise, otherwise he will be sacked,” Ferdinand said. “He needs to come out publicly and say: I admit I misjudged this situation.”
Ferdinand also criticised what he described as a communication failure within the Portuguese Football Federation, insisting that Jesus and the federation needed to establish clearer communication with Ronaldo about his role in the national team.
“They have to sit down with Cristiano Ronaldo and tell him: this is what I want to do, and if you don’t want to be part of it, tell me, but this is how things are going to go,” he said.
Despite his criticism of Jesus, Ferdinand said he still believed Ronaldo could make a contribution to the Portugal team, arguing that the major issue should be determining how best to use the veteran forward.
“I believe in him,” he added. “The question here is: will he be a starter, or an impactful substitute in matches, or a starter in some matches and a substitute in others? That is the conversation that needs to be had.”
Ferdinand further stressed that Jesus’ responsibility extends beyond tactical decisions, saying the coach must also know how to manage individual players and personalities within the squad.
“These coaches get paid to manage a team, but they also get paid to manage individuals,” he said.
