Cristiano Ronaldo Suspended Over Alleged Obscene Gesture in Saudi League Game
After allegedly making an offensive gesture during a Saudi Arabian league game while representing Al Nassr in the Saudi Pro League, Cristiano Ronaldo was suspended for a single match. Following Al-Nassr’s 3-2 victory over Al-Shabab, a rival team from Riyadh, on Sunday, Ronaldo took offense with crowd shouts of “Messi” during the postgame events. Messi is Ronaldo’s lifelong nemesis.
A video of the Portuguese football star cupping his ear to the “Messi” cries has gone viral online. He is shown making fun of the crowd by continuously thrusting his palm forward toward his groin, seemingly at the Al-Shabab supporters.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been punished by the Saudi Pro League and banned for one match as a consequence of these multidisciplinary activities.
In the video, when Ronaldo and his fellow players were having fun celebrating the victory, cries of “Messi,” a reference to Ronaldo’s longtime opponent Lionel Messi, were possibly heard in the background as well. After that, he teased the audience with an inappropriate gesture. Early on Thursday, the SAFF Disciplinary and Ethics Committee declared the social media ban. The next league game for Al-Nassr is against Al-Hazm at home on Thursday, and Ronaldo will be missing it as well.
In addition, the former Manchester United and Real Madrid player must pay half of the penalties to the federation and 20,000 Saudi Riyals ($5,333) to Al-Shabab to make up the costs of the club’s complaint filing. The committee declared that there was no room for appeal of the decision.
Former players and the media heavily criticized Ronaldo’s behavior in Saudi Arabia, even if his actions were not caught on camera. Ronaldo scored the game’s first penalty. The 39-year-old reportedly told the committee that his action was typical in Europe and a sign of victory, based on sources in the Saudi Arabian media.
Since joining Al-Nassr, the Portuguese forward has been the subject of controversy on several occasions. As supporters chanted Messi’s name last April, Ronaldo seemed to touch his private parts as he left the field following a match against Al-Hilal. At that time, Al-Nassr reported that the forward had been hurt in the game in the groin.
Ronaldo, who joined the Riyadh-based team in December 2022, leads the league in goals scored with 22. He earned the first goal, a penalty in the first half – against Al Shabab. Additionally, Al Nassr ,which never took home the Asian Champions League, is in the quarterfinals of that competition.
