A Saudi lawyer has called for Cristiano Ronaldo to be thrown out of the country after he appeared to make an insulting gesture towards fans following Al-Nassr’s 2-0 defeat by Al-Hilal on Tuesday night.
A video released on social media seemed to show the 38-year-old grabbing his crotch as he left the pitch in response to fans chanting the name of his rival Lionel Messi.
Lawyer Nouf bin Ahmed has reacted to the incident, and wants Ronaldo to be punished severely for his actions.
‘It is considered a crime of public dishonor, and it is one of the crimes that entails arrest and deportation if committed by a foreigner,’ Ahmed said on Twitter, as she vowed to file a complaint to the Saudi Prosecutor’s Office for his ‘crime of public indecency’
Ronaldo has also drawn heavy criticism from journalists in Saudi Arabia, with Ozman Abu Bakr suggesting Al-Nassr should terminate his £175m-a-year contract following his ‘immoral and impolite gesture against the spectators’.
However, according to Marca, Al-Nassr sources have defended Ronaldo by claiming he made the gesture after he ‘received a blow during the match’ to his genitals.
The controversial incident came after a damaging defeat for Dinko Jelicic’s side that saw them concede further ground in the title race.
Second-placed Al-Nassr are now three points behind leaders Al-Ittihad having played a game more, and with Al-Shabab in third, three points behind them with a game in hand.
Ronaldo was furious as he stormed off the pitch – and footage online seems to show him grabbing his crotch as supporters inside the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh sung ‘Messi! Messi! Messi!’ repeatedly in what was undoubtedly an attempt to taunt CR7.
As he headed for the tunnel, the former Manchester United player appeared to put his hand in his genital area and pull upwards.
The clip shows Ronaldo trudging off the field and past the media zone, before holding his crotch and moving it around.
While at the end of the video, he appears to look up towards the chanting fans with a grin on his face.
Rather than let his feet do the talking, Ronaldo was instead booked just before the hour mark while his side were 1-0 down after making a challenge that resembled something more likely to be seen in a WWE ring.
The former Man United star leapt on to his opponent, wrapping his right arm around his neck before using his body weight to wrestle him to the ground.
Despite the rather overzealous conduct from the 38-year-old, he was only booked by former Premier League referee Michael Oliver, who was officiating the game.
This was despite there being no clear attempt to play the aerial ball above their heads as he made the challenge.
With 15 minutes to go and his side 2-0 down, Ronaldo did eventually find the net after running onto a long ball before firing home, only to be controversially flagged offside.
Al-Nassr recently parted ways with manager Rudi Garcia amid reports of dressing room discontent, not least reportedly related to the Portuguese superstar.
He was replaced by former youth team coach Jelicic, who took over as interim boss. Needing a victory away at Al-Hilal to ensure they stayed in touch with the league leaders, they conceded twice from the penalty spot courtesy of Odion Ighalo.
The 198-cap Portugal international Ronaldo has scored 11 goals in 11 league games for Al-Nassr – 11 in 13 in all competitions – since joining on a massive three-year contract in December after his contract at Old Trafford was terminated.
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