06-January — It was announced that Cristiano Ronaldo would not be participating in Al Nassr’s upcoming match against Al Tai in the Saudi Professional League.
This news surprised some people, as there had been media reports suggesting that the Portuguese soccer player would make his debut despite being suspended for two matches.
As a result, Ronaldo looks well set to miss his first two domestic games in 2023 for the Saudi Arabian club. The 37-year-old received his suspension from England’s Football Association for an incident in which he knocked a phone out of a fan’s hand following Manchester United‘s loss to Everton last April.
According to FIFA’s Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players, any penalty of up to four matches issued by a player’s previous association must be “enforced by the new association.”
Reuters reported that the match against Al Tai was initially scheduled for Thursday but was postponed for a day due to heavy rain and resulting issues with the stadium’s electricity.
Despite his unhappiness at being forced to remain at Old Trafford, Ronaldo began the new season with Manchester United in the Premier League.
However, his contract was later terminated by mutual agreement just before the start of the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar in November.
This followed an interview with British journalist Piers Morgan on Talk TV that caused quite a stir.
