The Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) has banned Al-Nassr star striker Cristiano Ronaldo for one match and fined him 30,000 Saudi Riyals (£6,300). Ronaldo’s gestures toward supporters after Al-Nassr’s Saudi Pro League win against Al-Shabab prompted the punishment.
Al-Shabab fans chanted “Messi,” a reference to Ronaldo’s longtime nemesis Lionel Messi, following their team’s 3-2 loss in Riyadh. The 39-year-old Portugal skipper made a provocative gesture to the fans.
For “provoking fans,” the SAFF disciplinary and ethics commission banned Ronaldo for one match. He cannot also appeal this ruling.
Ronaldo scored Al-Nassr’s first penalty, but Al-Shabab came back again and won 3-2 with Talisca’s 87th-minute winner.
Al-Nassr signed Ronaldo from Manchester United on a free transfer in December 2022. He supposedly has the biggest football salary in history. He helped Al-Nassr climb to second in the league rankings behind Al-Hilal with 20 goals in 22 games this season.
The punishment marred Ronaldo’s successful Saudi Pro League career, prompting fans to debate the effects of on-field gestures on players and teams. The incident shows how intense football rivalries are even outside Europe, as the world awaits Ronaldo’s answer.
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