Cristiano Ronaldo, aged 39, has been handed a one-match suspension by the Saudi Football Federation (SAFF) Disciplinary and Ethics Committee. This decision came after Ronaldo was seen making an obscene gesture during Al Nassr's 3-2 victory over Al Shabab. The video footage captured Ronaldo cupping his ear towards Al Shabab fans and making gestures near his pelvis while chants of "Messi" were audible in the background.

In addition to the suspension, Ronaldo has been fined 10,000 Saudi riyals (€2,462, $2,666) by SAFF and ordered to pay a further 20,000 Saudi riyals to Al Shabab to cover the complaint filing fees. The committee's ruling is final and cannot be appealed, which means Ronaldo will miss Al Nassr's upcoming Saudi Pro League game against Al Hazem that is scheduled for Thursday.

This is not the first time Ronaldo has been involved in such incidents, as back in April 2023, he was accused of grabbing his genitals following a match against Al Hilal with similar chants of "Messi" being heard from the opposing fans. Al Nassr had claimed at the time that Ronaldo was nursing a groin injury from that game.

Despite the suspension, Ronaldo's performance on the field has been outstanding, having scored 34 goals in 35 appearances for Al Nassr this season. The team currently sits second in the Saudi Pro League, trailing behind leaders Al Hilal by seven points. Additionally, Al Nassr has advanced to the quarter-finals of the Asian Champions League.