The rumor mill has been working overtime these past few hours. Since what went down during Al Nassr’s match against Al Shabab, everyone has been eager to know Cristiano Ronaldo’s fate. Will he be banned, or will Al Nassr have the Portuguese international’s services for a crucial match against Al Hazm? After days of deliberation, the Saudi Arabian Football Federation has finally made a decision. And it’s not good news for the five-time Ballon d’Or winner or Al-Nasr.

“The Disciplinary and Ethics Committee at the Saudi Arabian Football Federation has issued a one-match ban to Cristiano Ronaldo,” revealed an SAFF spokesperson, as reported by The Guardian. The Al Nassr captain is also required to pay “10,000 Saudi Riyal [$2,600] fine to SAFF and 20,000 SAR [$5,300] fine payable to the opposition club Al-Shabab FC for ‘provoking fans’ or ‘inciting fans’ as per article 57 of the disciplinary and ethics committee at the Saudi Arabian Football Federation.” But what prompted this?

On December 30, 2022, Cristiano Ronaldo officially became the highest-paid player in soccer history when he joined the Saudi Pro League. Although he quickly became the face of the league, not everyone warmed up to him as quickly as the league did. And many still aren’t fans of the Portuguese talisman. Rival fans have done their best to get under Cristiano’s skin on multiple occasions. While he’s kept his composure almost every time, he’d finally had enough of listening to Al Shabab fans screaming his rival Lionel Messi’s name.

After his side sealed the away win 3-2, where CR7 scored the opening goal, the 39-year-old retaliated to the Messi chants by cupping his hand to his ear and making an X-rated gesture towards the Al Shabab fans. This was quite surprising because it’s become common for Saudi fans to chant Messi’s name during Al Nassr’s games. And there’s only one other time that Ronaldo has retaliated, which didn’t go down well with fans either.

In April 2023, in a match against Al Hilal, Ronaldo made a WWE-style tackle on one of his opponents, leading to a yellow card. But it also led to the Messi chants intensifying. In reaction, CR7 made a similar X-rated gesture toward the crowd. But after manager Luis Castro suggested his star player was only reacting to an injury, the SAFF didn’t hand Ronaldo a ban. However, this time around, CR7’s statement about the gesture didn’t please the SAFF.

After giving his take on the gesture, Cristiano Ronaldo responds to the ban

It’s no secret that the Portuguese international has been firing on all cylinders for his team this season, already racking up 30 goals to his name across all competitions. His role will be crucial in the coming weeks as Al Nassr looks to catch up with Al Hilal in the league standings, who are seven points ahead with a game in hand. Considering the importance of the upcoming games, Ronaldo made his case to avoid the ban the SAFF handed him.

As reported by Al-Riyadiya, Ronaldo said, “I respect all clubs. And the joy after the shot expresses strength and victory, and it is not shameful. We are accustomed to it in Europe.” [Translated by Google] But after confirmation of his ban, instead of reacting to it, CR7 displayed his work ethic on social media. He shared a picture of himself at the gym on Instagram, writing, “Can’t stop.”

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Despite the ban, Cristiano Ronaldo keeps at it, doing his best to stay on top of his game. While he’s doing that, reports suggest that many higher-ups in Saudi Arabia were not happy with his obscene action and hoped the player could bring a positive change to his attitude.

“Cristiano (Ronaldo) Was Not Upset”- Ruben Neves Discloses Al Nassr Star’s Reaction to Al Hilal Move