Could Man Utd sack him?

Cristiano Ronaldo has the eyes of the world on his back right now.
Football fans could barely believe what they were seeing on Sunday night when it emerged that Ronaldo had conducted one of the most explosive interviews of his career with Piers Morgan.
It marked the culmination of what has undoubtedly proven the most difficult year of the Portuguese’s professional life with his return to Manchester United looking more and more like a mistake with each passing day.
When will Ronaldo’s full interview go live?
And it’s hard to see any way back for the 37-year-old now that he’s taken aim at the likes of Ralf Rangnick and Erik ten Hag in the clips to have emerged from his interview so far.
While it’s of the upmost importance to stress that only certain aspects of the interview are problematic, there’s still no denying that a large amount of the soundbites to have been published hitherto are inflammatory unto themselves.
Full judgement will have to be reserved until the complete interview hits television screens on Wednesday and Thursday on TalkTV, but many United fans have already heard enough in regards to Ronaldo’s comments about the club.
Soccer Football – Premier League – Southampton v Manchester United – St Mary’s Stadium, Southampton, Britain – August 27, 2022 Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag talks to Cristiano Ronaldo before he comes on as a substitute REUTERS/Hannah Mckay EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or ‘live’ services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club /league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.
Read more: Cristiano Ronaldo Piers Morgan Full Interview: How to Watch, Release Date and More
Could Man Utd sack Ronaldo?
Now, there are many supporters rather understandably wondering what will happen next because lest we forget that Ronaldo has made all these critical comments about his employers while he’s still under contract.
And with Ronaldo seemingly having wanted out at Old Trafford for the majority 2022, there are plenty of onlookers wondering whether United can or might take the option to terminate Ronaldo’s contract. In other words, to sack him.
However, the details of what dismissing Ronaldo would actually look like aren’t quite that easy and that’s why Sky Sports called upon specialist Sports and Media Lawyer Stephen Taylor Heath to provide an expert’s view on the matter.
What followed was a fascinating breakdown of the complications that United now face as they weigh up their options with how to respond to Ronaldo’s controversial interview.
Video: Sports lawyer explains Man Utd’s Ronaldo situation
🗣 “They will look at the contract… It sets out the rights that the club have in relation to responding to conduct which they consider bringing the club to disrepute.”
Sport lawyer Stephen Taylor Heath outlines the options Manchester United have pic.twitter.com/1vmHUtleas November 15, 2022
🗣 “If however they don’t sack him on the spot for gross misconduct then they may have a disciplinary hearing.”
Sport lawyer Stephen Taylor Heath reviews Ronaldo’s previous incidents can be used against his such as not coming on against Tottenham pic.twitter.com/jD7LbWyLHD — Football Daily (@footballdaily) November 15, 2022
What did the sports lawyer say about Man Utd vs Ronaldo?
Heath explained: “The first thing they will do is look at his contract. That sets out the rights the club have in relation to responding to conduct which they consider brings the club, or employees of the club, into disrepute.
“They will be discussing whether that conduct amounts to gross misconduct, because the procedures under the employment contract are different depending on whether it reaches that threshold or it is simply a disciplinary matter.
“There is a lot of noise, in terms of external factors, that will play a part in how the club reacts to this matter. But the real matter is whether the comments bring the club into disrepute.
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“The fact he has intended an interview under the guise of a club representative means that if his comments reflect badly on the club, then the club will take a decision as to the proportionate way of responding to that.
“They will consider his previous misdemeanours, as to whether or not there is a pattern of behaviour that effectively amounts to grounds for dismissal. If they were to sack him [Ronaldo] for gross misconduct, for example, he would have a certain period of time in which to appeal.
“It may be that they negotiate a settlement agreement, whereby it is termination by mutual agreement. But they will also have to factor in whether they want to terminate his contract at all – if he himself is trying to engineer a departure from the club. That falls into his trap, by sacking him.
“Players at the level of Cristiano Ronaldo don’t just have a playing contract. What they do is they split the commercial rights and the playing rights. He will have a separate image rights contract. They will have to look at the grounds for both.”
Soccer Football – Premier League – Manchester City v Manchester United – Etihad Stadium, Manchester, Britain – October 2, 2022 Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo is seen on the substitutes bench Action Images via Reuters/Carl Recine EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or ‘live’ services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club /league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.
Got it? Don’t worry, we’d understand if the answer was ‘no’ because there’s certainly a lot to take in, but it certainly seems as though United could take steps towards sacking Ronaldo, it’s just a question of whether they’d want to.
Would they be playing into Ronaldo’s hands by giving him an easy way out? Would they be setting themselves up for a fall given the nature of some of the accusations he’s made against the club?
These are the sorts of questions that will no doubt be bounding about the minds of United chiefs in the coming days in what undoubtedly makes for a complicated and sensitive situation.
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