Ronaldo punished after offensive celebration

ESPN reported that the Disciplinary and Ethics Committee of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) has decided to ban Cristiano Ronaldo for one match and asked the Portuguese superstar to pay a fine of 10,000 riyals ($2,666).

In addition, the Disciplinary Committee did not allow Al Nassr and Ronaldo to appeal. The fine paid by the 39-year-old player will be used to cover the costs of filing an appeal by Al Shabab. The penalty is effective immediately, so Ronaldo will be suspended for the match between Al Nassr and Al Hazem at 00:00 on March 1.

Ronaldo was punished after a series of offensive behaviors.

Al Shabab filed a complaint after witnessing Ronaldo's offensive behavior towards their fans after a 2-3 loss to Al Nassr a few days ago. When fans chanted "Messi, Messi", Ronaldo spread his legs and raised his arms up and down in response. Previously, the 39-year-old superstar recreated his own controversial celebration in 2019. At that time, Ronaldo was fined $22,000 by UEFA.

Before imposing the penalty, the Disciplinary Committee asked Ronaldo to explain. However, the Portuguese player's explanation was not very convincing.

"I respect every team. My actions represent strength and victory, not to offend anyone. In Europe, this is normal," Ronaldo said.

This season, Ronaldo is Al Nassr's main scorer with 22 goals in the Saudi Pro League, 34 goals in all competitions. He and his teammates aim to win the 2023/24 AFC Champions League because there are not many opportunities to compete with Al Hilal in the domestic league.

Minh Tu

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