Ronaldo clears the air
03 Jul 2006 - 13:21:41
Cristiano Ronaldo says that he has cleared the air with England star Wayne Rooney after the Portugal winger came under heavy fire for his actions in Saturday's World Cup quarter-final between the two sides.
Ronaldo has been criticised for seeming to encourage referee Elizondo to dismiss his Manchester United team-mate after his stamp on Ricardo Carvalho, with sections of the English press seeing him as the main villain in the piece.
However, Ronaldo told www.gestifute.com: The things that have been said regarding me and my team-mate and friend Rooney are incredible.
"Between me and Rooney, there is absolutely no problem. I reiterate, no problem.
"At the end of the game, we sent each other some text messages and also today. Between the two of us everything has been cleared.
"He wished me the best of luck in the World Cup. He told me we had a great team and that if we continued to play like this, we would go far.
"He wasn't angry with me and moreover, he told me to completely ignore what the English press has said, that all they wanted was to create confusion, but we are already used to that."
Meanwhile, Rooney has until Thursday to submit his version of events to FIFA, with a subsequent suspension a certainty.
A FIFA spokesman confirmed: "Wayne Rooney got a direct red card so he will automatically be suspended. It will be a disciplinary case. Like any player, the committee will decide on the penalty."
