It seems the Al Nassr team cannot pursue their battles without Cristiano Ronaldo. Well, when Ronaldo scores in every other game and leads the league in goals, it is no surprise that the team can’t afford to miss him. As of now, the Portuguese stalwart is banned for two games after receiving a red card in the 2-1 Saudi Super Cup loss against Al Hilal. Al Nassr now reportedly aims to splurge an amount to question the refereeing decision and overturn their captain’s suspension.

According to Saudi Arabian journalist Ahmed Aljadi, Al Nassr plans to appeal against the referee’s decision to book Cristiano Ronaldo in the Al Hilal tie. “Al-Nasr intends to appeal against the red card that the legend Cristiano Ronaldo was exposed to in the last match with Al-Hilal in the Super Cup,” said Aljadi. The journalist added that the Riyadh-based club will also pay a fee to appeal before the league authorities.

During the Al Hilal game, Cristiano Ronaldo got his first booking for arguing with the referee after VAR ruled out the opening goal citing he was offside. Thereafter, in the 86th minute, Ronaldo got into an altercation with Al Hilal defender Ali Albulayhi. The Al Nassr skipper eventually elbowed the rival defender and sent him to the ground. Subsequently, the match official brandished a second yellow card and CR7 left the field seeing red. Before leaving, the 39-year-old had also shown a clenched fist to the referee. Though Ronaldo’s team is now planning to condemn the red card, it is quite dubious whether the appeal will be successful or not.

Chances of Al Nassr losing the appeal to overturn Cristiano Ronaldo’s suspension

As per numerous reputed soccer associations, a team can lose an appeal against a red card in two circumstances. Firstly, if the referee has red-carded a player for NSFW words and racist abuses, the league’s disciplinary committee won’t overturn the suspension. Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham unleashed an NSFW rant when the referee blew a final whistle while Madrid scored a goal. The Spanish giant appealed in Bellingham’s favor only to lose before La Liga authorities.

Secondly, an appeal cannot reverse a red card, which comes as a second caution. In that case, Cristiano Ronaldo is not off the hook. He saw two yellows that night against Al Hilal. However, these rules pertain to soccer associations such as the English FA. It is to be seen if the Saudi association has a different rule regarding appeals against red cards. If it has, there is a chance for CR7 to fight for a clean chit.