The matches in the Saudi Pro League have been intriguing as we near the end of the current season. However, they are not going down without a few controversies. And one bone of contention has been the refereeing this season, especially with complaints from players like Cristiano Ronaldo. After the Saudi Super Cup debacle, Al Nassr will move on to the King’s Cup and reports now suggest that they do not want local referees.

In an attempt to avoid a trophy-less season, the club from Riyadh would like to make the most of the only title up for grabs. According to a Saudi soccer news X (previously Twitter) post, Al Nassr is demanding foreign referees for the King’s Cup semifinal. Ronaldo will have enough time to put his earlier disappointments on the back burner as Al Nassr will take on Al Khaleej in the semifinal on May 1.

The decision comes after their exit from the Super Cup after losing 2-1 to Al Hilal. The Riyadh rivals then won the tournament with a triumph against Al Ittihad leaving the team in yellow without a trophy so far this season. But is the current decision to have referees from abroad officiating the matches too late? Al Nassr earlier had the chance to make the same demand as the Saudi Arabia Football Association (SAFF) provided an option before the Super Cup semifinal to make the same request.

However, both the teams turned a blind eye, leading to the selection of renowned Saudi League referee, Muhammad Al-Huwaish. However, this did not turn out to be fruitful for Al Nassr as Ronaldo was sent off by the same arbitrator in the 86th minute, leaving Al Nassr with 10 men. The 5-time Ballon d’Or winner now stays suspended for two games, but the referee is not done yet.

Cristiano Ronaldo incident leads referee to take further action

Cristiano Ronaldo was seen taking down defender, Ali Al Bulaihi with his elbow. Subsequently, Ronaldo went away on a vacation and posted a message of peace. But  Al-Huwaish is still not done with the incident. Reports now suggest that the 37-year-old referee is in consultation with a legal firm to file a lawsuit against his abusers.

This comes after the fans of the player and the club abused Al-Huwaish on social media, despite his decision being justified by the‘Excessive Force’ used by the Portuguese. Cristiano Ronaldo was also slapped with a $5,400 fine for allegedly mocking the referee as he left the field in Abu Dhabi. Will this motivate the league’s top scorer to win King’s Cup title? Only time will tell.

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