LONDON (AP) — Former Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo was banned for two matches and fined 50,000 pounds ($60,000) for hitting a phone out of a fan’s hand at Everton after a Premier League game last season.
The ban will be transferred when Ronaldo joins a new club in any country. It does not apply to the World Cup.
The 37-year-old Portugal star, who is now a free agent following his release from Man United on Tuesday, had the altercation after a 1-0 defeat at Goodison Park on April 9, for which Ronaldo received a police caution from Merseyside Police.
England's Football Association charged him with improper conduct and an independent panel has handed down a suspension and fine.
“An independent regulatory commission found that his conduct was both improper and violent during a subsequent hearing, and imposed these sanctions,” the FA said in a statement on Wednesday.
Ronaldo had accepted the FA charge but requested a personal hearing — held online on Nov. 8 — in a bid to try to avoid a suspension. Ronaldo said he had “legitimate concern... for his own physical safety and well-being."
But the independent panel said it was an “act born of frustration and annoyance rather than fear or concern for his wellbeing.”
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