As captain of the National Team, I know my colleague Raul Meireles very well and I`m sure he`s not capable of doing what he`s accused of. I give him all my support and sympathy.
Recently the Turkish Football Federation banned Raul Meireles for 11 games after being accused of spitting at a referee. The alleged actions were followed by accusations of homophobic remarks after he received a second yellow card in the second half of a 2-1 home defeat to rivals Galatasaray. The Portugal international rejected the claims made by the referee and he promised to take legal action against referee.
Cristiano Ronaldo, the striker of Real Madrid and Portugal, expressed his support for Raul Meireles. “As captain of the National Team, I know my colleague Raul Meireles very well and I’m sure he’s not capable of doing what he’s accused of. I give him all my support and sympathy.” Ronaldo said on Facebook.
Ronaldo’s message has received a great ovation from the fans of Fenerbahçe S.K. “25 Million fenerbahce fans are behind meireles.” a fan wrote in Cristiano’s page.
On 3 September 2012, Raul Meireles, 29, joined Super League side Fenerbahçe. He has appeared 14 times for the club and scored two goals for his side.
