The captain’s armband which was thrown to the ground by Cristiano Ronaldo as he protested a disallowed goal is being auctioned to take care of the medical bills of a sick baby.
Captain’s armband thrown to the ground by Ronaldo to be auctioned to save sick baby’s life
Ronaldo went berserk when his last-gasp strike against Serbia in a World Cup qualifier was wrongly disallowed by the referee.
The Juventus star guided the ball past the Serbia goalkeeper with the last kick of the game, but the ball was adjudged not to have crossed the line.
Without VAR in the World Cup qualifiers, Portugal were denied a goal that would have earned them all three points.
Angered by the decision, Ronaldo ripped off his captain’s armband and threw it on the ground while walking off the pitch.
The Associated Press reports that the armband was later picked up by a stadium worker and is now being auctioned to pay for the treatment of a six-month-old baby.
The toddler is suffering from spinal muscular atrophy and needs to undergo surgery to correct the problem.
A charity in Serbia is, therefore, helping to raise funds for the baby’s medical bills and is auctioning the armband after obtaining it.
Meanwhile, Ronaldo has defended himself in the wake of criticisms over his petulant behaviour after the goal was disallowed.
“Being captain of the Portugal National Team is one of the greatest pride and privileges of my life,” he wrote on Facebook.
“I give and will always give my all for my country, that will never change. But there are difficult moments to cope, especially when we feel like an entire nation is being harmed. Head up and face the next challenge! Come on Portugal!”
It is, however, unknown how much the charity will be able to raise from the auctioning of the armband.
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