Cristiano Ronaldo has received a one-match suspension due to an alleged offensive gesture made during a Saudi Pro League match while representing Al Nassr.
Following Al Nassr’s 3-2 victory over their Riyadh rivals, Al-Shabab, on Sunday, video footage surfaced showing Ronaldo cupping his ear and repeatedly making a hand gesture near his pelvis, seemingly directed at Al-Shabab fans. Background chants of “Messi,” alluding to Ronaldo’s long-standing football rival Lionel Messi, could be heard.
The Disciplinary and Ethics Committee of the Saudi Arabia Football Federation (SAFF) announced the suspension on Thursday morning. Al Nassr’s upcoming league fixture is against Al-Hazem at home on Thursday evening.
Additionally, the former Real Madrid and Manchester United star will be required to pay a fine of 20,000 Saudi Riyals ($5,333) to Al-Shabab for covering the costs associated with the club’s complaint, and half of that amount to the federation.
The committee has stated that the decision is not subject to appeal.
Although the incident was not captured by television cameras, it faced widespread criticism in Saudi Arabia from former players and commentators.
This is not the first time Ronaldo has been embroiled in controversy since joining Al Nassr. In April of the previous year, as he left the field after a match against Al Hilal, Ronaldo appeared to gesture toward his genitals while fans chanted Messi’s name. Al Nassr had attributed this action to a groin injury sustained during the game.
Since joining the Riyadh-based club in December 2022, Ronaldo has emerged as the league’s top scorer with 22 goals. He also scored the opening goal against Al-Shabab, a first-half penalty.
Furthermore, Al Nassr is currently in the quarterfinals of the Asian Champions League, a competition the club has yet to win.