Cristiano Suspended and Fined for Controversial Gesture
The Disciplinary Committee of the Saudi Football Federation announced on Thursday the sanction imposed on the Portuguese forward. Here we tell you what it was.
The Disciplinary Committee of the Saudi Football Federation announced on Thursday the suspension for one match of the Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo, forward for Al-Nasr, and the imposition of a fine of 10,000 Saudi riyals ($2,666.54) for the obscene gestures he made to the Al-Shabab team fans in the last round of the domestic league.
The Committee stated in a statement that it had examined the complaint filed by Al-Shabab Club, listened to Ronaldo's response to the accusations, and requested the official channel that broadcast the match for footage of the incident that occurred in the final minutes of the match between both clubs, which ended 3-2 in favor of Al-Nasr.
"The complaint was accepted in form and substance, after it was proven that Al-Nasr player Cristiano Ronaldo violated article (57-1) of the Discipline and Ethics Regulation," the Committee said.
Thus, it was decided "to suspend Cristiano Ronaldo for one match from all official matches in which he is entitled to participate (locally) and to obligate the player to pay 10,000 riyals to the Saudi Football Federation's account."
Additionally, Al-Nasr Club was obligated to pay 20,000 riyals to Al-Shabab Club for the costs of filing the complaint, and it confirmed that all decisions made are not subject to appeal.
The Saudi newspaper Al-Riyadiya reported on Thursday that the reduced sanction to CR7 came after the player argued in his defense that he respects all Saudi clubs and that the gesture he made was an expression of joy after the victory, not obscene, as interpreted in the country, which is very conservative and strictly observes Islamic practices.
Furthermore, he said that he was already accustomed to making similar celebrations in European stadiums. CR7 repeatedly shook his arm at pelvis level as he approached the rival team's fans, who had been chanting "Messi, Messi" during the match.
The reaction came after Cristiano Ronaldo's teammate, Anderson Talisca, scored the winning goal in the 86th minute of the match. Many Saudis defined the gesture as "immoral," "obscene," and "rude" in numerous messages, especially on social media.
This is the third time Ronaldo has made "obscene" gestures to the fans, as he did the same act on two previous occasions against Al Hilal; the first in the league last April, after being booed following his team's defeat.
The second was this same month, after a fan threw a blue scarf from the Al Hilal team onto the field, which Cristiano grabbed and tucked into his pants before throwing it back into the stands of the rival's supporters.
