Cristiano Ronaldo has received a one-match suspension following an incident where he appeared to make an offensive gesture after Al Nassr‘s 3-2 victory over Al Shabab, as announced by the Disciplinary and Ethics Committee of the Saudi Football Federation (SAFF) on Wednesday.
Following the conclusion of the match on Sunday, videos circulating on social media captured Ronaldo cupping his ear and repeatedly making a hand gesture near his pelvic area, seemingly directed towards rival Al Shabab supporters.
In the background, chants of “Messi” could be heard, alluding to Ronaldo’s longtime football adversary from Argentina.
The committee stated that the Portuguese star must pay a fine of 10,000 Saudi riyals ($2,666) to the Saudi Football Federation and 20,000 riyals to Al-Shabab to cover the expenses of filing the complaint. Additionally, the committee emphasized that the decision is final and not subject to appeal.
This incident comes after a similar occurrence in April of last year when the 39-year-old Ronaldo was seen allegedly making a similar gesture while heading to the dugout after a league match against Al Hilal, which ended in a 2-0 defeat for Al Nassr.