Al Nassr forward Cristiano Ronaldo has been banned for one match and fined 10,000 Saudi riyals ($2,666) for his obscene gesture after his side’s 3-2 win over Al Shabab.
After the final whistle on Sunday, cameras captured Ronaldo cupping his ear before repeatedly pumping his hand forward in front of his pelvic area. This was directed at Al Shabab supporters in the stadium. As a result, he will also pay 20,000 riyals to Al Shabab to cover the costs of the complaint filing fees.
The ban and fine have been imposed by the Disciplinary and Ethics Committee of the Saudi Football Federation (SAFF). The committee said the decision is not subject to appeal.
This isn’t the first time Ronaldo’s on-field antics have made the headlines.
Cristiano Ronaldo rubbed a scarf on his crotch against Al-Hilal
Ronaldo also appeared to grab his genitals during a Riyadh Cup game with Al-Hilal on February 8, before rubbing a scarf on his crotch when leaving the field, and has previously reacted to ‘Messi’ chants from the terraces.
Al Nassr trails fellow league leader Al Hilal by four points, having played a game more. The team is also in the quarterfinals of the Asian Champions League, a tournament Al Nassr has never won.
Ronaldo has scored 34 goals in just 35 appearances this season.
Sherjeel Malik is the editor at FanHaat with a writing experience in multiple sports. He oversees the editorial and content coverage at FanHaat and writes often around combat sports, football and other marquee sports. A professional highlight of his career was when WWE’s Paul Heyman shared one of his articles on his social media.
Apart from writing, editing and watching sports, he likes to indulge in reading fiction, watching war documentaries and is a fan of Liverpool FC
