Cristiano Ronaldo won't be suspended by Uefa because of his provocatory celebration against Atletico Madrid (WATCH) Ronaldo, the same punishment given to Diego Pablo Simeone for a similar celebration in the opening Champions League clash between Atletico Madrid and Juventus in Madrid.The decision has just been made official by Uefa with the following statement:Following a disciplinary investigation conducted by a UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector, in accordance with the Article 55 of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations (DR), disciplinary proceedings have been opened following the UEFA Champions League round of 16 match between Juventus Football Club and Club Atlético de Madrid, played on 12 March in Italy.- Improper conduct of player Cristiano Ronaldo – Art. 11 (2) (b) and Art. 11 (2) (d) of the UEFA Disciplinary RegulationsThe UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body will deal with this case at its next meeting on 21 March.<doc-sep>Claudio Villa./Getty Images Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo has been charged by UEFA for his celebration at the end of the team's Champions League clash with Atletico Madrid. Ronaldo scored a hat-trick to fire the Serie A side into the quarter-finals, with a 3-0 win on the night enough to overturn the 2-0 lead Atletico held from the first leg. After the game, Ronaldo gestured towards his crotch in celebration, mimicking the actions of Atletico manager Diego Simeone from the first leg (U.S. only): Per Sky Sports News, UEFA has charged Ronaldo with improper conduct, meaning he may face a suspension for the quarter-final clash with Ajax. As noted in the report, Simeone was fined £17,000 after getting the same charge. Per John Cross of the Daily Mirror, given the Atletico boss wasn't given a touchline ban, Ronaldo is also unlikely to be prohibited from playing against Ajax. Tancredi Palmeri of beIN Sports provided more details on the charges put to Ronaldo: Videos you might like While Simeone did later apologise for his conduct, his explanation of the celebration initially was that some of the decisions he made for the game required "balls," per Marca. Speaking about Ronaldo's imitation of the celebration following his side's elimination from the Champions League, Simeone said "like me, [he] was trying to show his character," per Danny Gallagher of the MailOnline. If Juventus were to be without Ronaldo for the quarter-finals it would be a huge blow, as he has proved himself as the ultimate big-game player. That was evident in the way he performed against Atletico. Ronaldo scored two exceptional headers to give Juventus parity in the tie before he kept his nerve from the penalty spot late on to score the decisive goal. Here's the moment he slotted from 12 yards (U.S. only): OptaJean summed up just how prolific Ronaldo is in the knockout stages of the competition: Having won the Champions League in four of the last five seasons with Real Madrid, Ronaldo knows what's required to get over the line in this tournament. With that in mind, Juventus are one of the favourites for glory in this season's edition. While Ajax performed brilliantly to knock out Real in the previous round, they represented one of the most favourable draws at the quarter-final stage. The first leg of the last-eight tie will be played in Amsterdam on April 10, and the Bianconeri will desperate to see their talisman involved.<doc-sep>Quality Sport Images/Getty Images Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo will be available to face Ajax in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League after avoiding a ban for his celebration in the last-16 win over Atletico Madrid. The forward grabbed his crotch to mimic Atletico manager Diego Simeone during his team's 3-0 second-leg victory in Turin, which saw them overturn a 2-0 deficit. Matias Grez of CNN reported on Thursday that Ronaldo has received a €20,000 (£17,000) fine from the governing body on Thursday. Simeone was fined the same amount for his celebration in the first leg of the tie at the Wanda Metropolitano stadium but avoided a touchline ban, per BBC Sport. The news will be a big boost to Juventus and their hopes of lifting the Champions League for the first time since 1996. Ronaldo was brought to Turin in summer 2018 for €100 million (£88.3 million) with the aim of delivering success in Europe. The Portuguese superstar has won the continent's top competition five times in his career. His first title came with Manchester United in 2009, and he went on to win it four times with Real Madrid, including the last three consecutively. Videos you might like Ronaldo was in inspirational form in the last 16 after defeat in the first leg had Juventus heading for an early exit from the competition, netting a hat-trick to seal a 3-2 aggregate win and a place in the quarter-finals. Ronaldo suggested to Sky Sport Italia (h/t Ben Gladwell at ESPN FC) after the win that his goals were the reason Juventus signed him. "This had to be a great night and it was one, not just for my goals but for the team. Maybe this is why Juve signed me. I just do my job and it was a magic night. We've not done anything yet, but we're very proud." Juventus will now hope their talisman can reproduce his heroics against Ajax and secure a place in the semi-finals against either Manchester City or Tottenham Hotspur. Ajax have already pulled off one of this season's biggest Champions League shocks, defeating Ronaldo's former club and the competition's holders Real Madrid in the last 16 to book their place in the quarter-finals.<doc-sep>
Cristiano Ronaldo is in danger of missing Juventus' Champions League quarter-final tie with Ajax after UEFA charged him for his 'cojones' celebration. The Portugal star imitated Diego Simeone's gesture from the first leg of Juve's last-16 tie with Atletico Madrid after scoring a hat-trick to knock out the Spanish club in the return fixture last week. UEFA have now acted and charged Ronaldo with improper conduct, which could result in a ban for the former Real Madrid man. Cristiano Ronaldo has been charged by UEFA for his 'cojones' celebration against Atletico Ronaldo held both arms above his head before gesturing towards his crotch at the final whistle The Portugal star was mocking Diego Simeone after scoring a hat-trick to knock out his side Atletico manager Simeone grabbed his crotch in a similar manner during the first leg in Spain In a statement, UEFA said: 'Following a disciplinary investigation conducted by a UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector, in accordance with the Article 55 of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations (DR), disciplinary proceedings have been opened following the UEFA Champions League round of 16 match between Juventus Football Club and Club Atletico de Madrid, played on 12 March in Italy. 'Improper conduct of player Cristiano Ronaldo – Art. 11 (2) (b) and Art. 11 (2) (d) of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations.' UEFA also confirmed that they will deal with Ronaldo's case at the next meeting of its Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body on Thursday. Ronaldo was pictured making the controversial gesture - which involved swinging both arms towards his crotch - after his side sealed a 3-0 win over Atletico to make it through to the last eight of the competition. Ronaldo celebrates after helping Juventus reach the Champions League quarter-finals The former Real Madrid man scored a penalty to complete his hat-trick and seal a 3-0 win Ronaldo also scored two headers on the night to dump Atletico Madrid out of the competition The 34-year-old was copying the celebration of Simeone, who made a similar gesture after his side scored the opening goal during the first leg. Simeone was fined £17,000 for the incident but escaped a touchline ban for the return match at the Allianz Stadium. If Ronaldo is banned by UEFA, he is likely to only miss the first leg of Juventus' quarter-final tie in Amsterdam on April 10. The return fixture takes place in Turin on April 16. Speaking about Ronaldo's celebration after his side's defeat, Simeone said: 'Ronaldo is the best in the world, he can put in these performances on big nights. 'He will have seen how I did it at the Wanda Metropolitano and, like me, was trying to show his character.'