Cristiano Ronaldo banned for a match after obscene gesture towards fans chanting Lionel Messi’s name

Cristiano Ronaldo was handed a one-match ban on Thursday after he had made an obscene gesture last Sunday in a Saudi Pro League match against al Shabab.

The Portuguese talisman will also have to pay a fine of 20,000 Saudi riyals and can’t appeal against the decision, the Disciplinary and Ethics Committee of the Saudi Arabia Football Federation said.

The incident happened after Al Nassr had defeated Al Shabab 3-2 in the SPL and Ronaldo, who was leading his teammates after an away win, responded to the home fans chanting the name of his arch nemesis Lionel Messi by cupping his ear and thrusting his hand forward near his pelvis.

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It isn’t a first time that Ronaldo has been irked by fans displaying approval of Messi at one of his games. The Portuguese had also sparked a controversy last year following a defeat to Al-Hilal, responding to opposition fans waving Messi shirts by putting his hand in his genital area and pulling upwards in another video that did rounds on the social media.

Even in recent times, the Al Nassr captain’s relationship with the Saudi fans has been anything but smooth. Walking back to the ground tunnel following a loss in the Riyadh Season Cup final, the Portuguese had made the headlines for all the wrong reasons after an Al-Hilal shirt was hurled his way.

Having arrived in Saudi after his second stint at Manchester United turned sour in late 2022, Ronaldo has been vocal about his move to the middle-east, going as far as suggesting that football in the country is “more quality” than many leagues in Europe.

Ronaldo joined Al Nassr in a two-and-a-half-year contract which also had made him the highest paid athlete with his