Cristiano Ronaldo has become embroiled in a bitter spat with Italy’s sports minister on Friday as the pair indirectly accused each other of lying over whether the Portugal international had broken health rules after testing positive for the coronavirus.
Vincenzo Spadafora said on Thursday the Juventus superstar may have been guilty of contravening Italy’s rules by flying back to Italy from national team duty in Portugal after he tested positive for the virus earlier this week.
But in an Instagram video on Friday, Ronaldo angrily responded and said he had followed the guidance to the letter of the law
‘A gentlemen here in Italy, whose name I won’t mention, said I didn’t obey the protocol – that’s simply a lie,’ said Ronaldo from his Turin villa, where he is in quarantine and asymptomatic.
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‘I followed all the protocols and I will continue to follow them, my conscience is clear…. Everything I did was authorised.’
The 35-year-old Ronaldo tested positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday while he was with the Portugal squad and flew back in a private jet the following day.
‘They said I broke Italian law and this and that… it’s all lies, I did everything properly,’ he added. ‘We did everything the right way — leaving the [Portugal] team, in the air ambulance, arriving in Turin… I did not have contact with anyone.’
Spadafora later replied in an interview with the Italian news agency Ansa.
‘The fame and skill of certain players does not entitle them to be arrogant, disrespectful to the institutions and to lie,’ he said.
‘I’m not going to continue with this matter forever,’ he added. ‘I’m not talking about it again and I repeat my wish that everyone who has tested positive recovers quickly.’
