Former World Cup referee Graham Poll has hit out at Cristiano Ronaldo for screaming in the face of the match official in Portugal's World Cup defeat by Uruguay. The Real Madrid superstar became incensed when referee Cesar Ramos failed to award Portugal a free-kick when Ricardo Quaresma went down under a challenge in injury time. The Portugal international sprinted towards the official as he gestured for a goal kick, and screamed at him angrily. Some fans watching the action believe he shouted "f*** you" at the referee, as he got right up in his face, and earned himself a yellow card for his trouble.
Poll has reviewed the tape and believes FIFA should have thrown the book at the five-time Ballon d'Or winner. "FIFA missed a massive opportunity to stamp some authority by imposing a significant sanction on the world superstar after his outrageous dissent," Poll told the Daily Mail. "The tournament has been blighted by these scenes of over-the-top reactions to refereeing decisions with scant respect shown to match officials." He added: "FIFA must instruct referees to be stronger in dealing with protests and then impose significant sanctions if the game isn't to be lost to these screaming prima donnas." Portugal's defeat saw them crash out of the competition as Uruguay progressed to the quarter-finals, where they will now take on France.
Source: Mirror