Portugal set to appeal CR7 red card in hope he is not BANNED for World Cup match

Cristiano Ronaldo could be lining up in Portugal's opening game of the World Cup as the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) reportedly look to appeal his red-card ban.

Ronaldo was sent off during Portugal's 2-0 qualifier defeat at the Republic of Ireland on Thursday after lashing out and elbowing Dara O'Shea on the hour mark in Dublin.

The 40-year-old's length of ban is currently unclear but he was suspended for Sunday's 9-1 thumping win over Armenia which secured their qualification for next year's finals in Canada, Mexico and the United States of America.

If he is given a multiple-game ban, which is the usual punishment for a straight red card, then he would miss Portugal's opening two matches at the World Cup next summer.

And in a bid to prevent that outcome from happening, the FPF are preparing to file a complaint to FIFA to ensure his ban covers solely the Armenia qualifier, according to A Bola.

The Portuguese outlet claim FPF president Pedro Proenca has been directly involved in the process to defend Ronaldo when they make their complaint and have three reasons for their case.

The first point they will argue is of the hostile environment within the Aviva Stadium and the actions of Republic of Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson contributing to that. The Icelandic manager had alleged that Ronaldo had dominated the referee in the previous meeting between the teams.

Secondly, they argue that Ronaldo was provoked by O'Shea's shirt-grabbing in the build-up to the incident.

And finally they are seeking goodwill on the count of Ronaldo's disciplinary record at international level - with this his first red card in 226 appearances for his country.

In the wake of Thursday's loss, Portugal boss Roberto Martinez argued Ronaldo's outburst was not 'violent' post-match in a staunch defence of his captain.

'Of course, we spoke,' the former Everton manager said. 'I think it's difficult for a player like Cristiano, who's in the box. And today he had two defenders constantly in physical contact.

'There's no violence. He tries to push the defender away and he was unlucky that the VAR... the angle of the images [makes it look] worse than what happened. It's Ronaldo's first red card for the national team, it's incredible.'

Giving his reaction to Ronaldo's sending off, Hallgrimsson said: 'He [Cristiano Ronaldo] lost his focus a little bit and maybe it was the fans as well.

'He was frustrated and reacted in a way he knows he shouldn't.'

'He said that to me walking away [about Hallgrimsson's comments about the referee before the game], told me it was a clever thing to do and blamed the referee or whoever for this, but it was just his silly decision to attack our player.'