Cristiano Ronaldo’s sister, Katia Aveiro, has come out in defence of the Juventus forward after his red card in the 2-0 win against Valencia on Wednesday.
Ronaldo was dismissed on his Champions League debut for Juve after a clash with Jeison Murillo was spotted by the assistant referee and communicated to German referee Felix Brych, who drew a red card from his top pocket.
The Portuguese forward was reluctant to leave the field at the Mestalla and appeared to be on the verge of tears as he finally walked to the tunnel in disbelief.
She wrote on Instagram: “A football disgrace…justice will be done…they want to destroy my brother, but God never sleeps…disgraceful.”
Aveiro posted further images of the incident on her Instagram story with similar captions.
It was Ronaldo’s first red card in 154 Champions League games, and the decision means he could miss a return to Old Trafford when Juventus play Manchester United next month if he gets at least a two-match ban.
UEFA rules state that a player who is sent off is suspended for the next match in the competition but if the episode is deemed a “serious offence,” he could miss more games.
Blaise Matuidi defended Juve teammate Ronaldo and demanded the red card be rescinded.
“It’s very harsh. I think if you have seen the pictures, you’ll have seen that it’s incomprehensible,” Matuidi said. “I hope that they [UEFA’s disciplinary commission] will look at it and that they will have something positive for him, because he doesn’t deserve that.”
Ronaldo, who was predictably given a hostile reception by the home crowd, could be seen mouthing the words, “I didn’t do anything,” as he trudged back to the dressing room following the incident.
“He was sad after the match, very sad,” Matuidi added. “And we are all sad for him.”
Meanwhile, Valencia coach Marcelino said Ronaldo was “very affected” by his red card and even cried on his Champions League debut with Juventus.
“Cristiano was very affected for his sending off, I saw him crying,” Marcelino, who spoke to Ronaldo after the episode, told Cope. “He said he had done nothing wrong. The truth is that I was not able to see anything.”
source: Kwese.espn.com