Cristiano Ronaldo won’t be able to play his first game for his new team, Al Nassr. The Portuguese football star was introduced by the Saudi Pro League team on Tuesday after signing a contract worth more than $200m a year.
Fans all over the world can’t wait to see one of the best football players of all time play for his new team. The English Football Association has still banned Cristiano Ronaldo from playing, so the wait will continue, according to the UK’s Daily Mail.
Ronaldo said at his official introduction that he was ready to play against Al-Ta’ee on Thursday because he had passed his medical. Al Nassr is said to have sold out all of its tickets for the match, but fans won’t be able to see their new hero play because of how FIFA rules work.
Thursday, Al Nassr will play Al-Ta’ee, which is in seventh place, but they won’t have their new star player. The English FA still won’t let Cristiano Ronaldo play because of something that happened in April 2022 when he was still a Man Utd player. FIFA rules say that the ban will follow the star player to his new club.
In April, when Man Utd lost 1-0 to Everton in the English Premier League, Ronaldo slapped a fan’s phone out of his hand as he left the field.
After an investigation by English football officials, Ronaldo was fined $60,000 and banned from playing for two games. The hearing took place in November. An independent FA panel found Cristiano Ronaldo guilty of “a deliberate and forceful slap down”, which they called “a petulant act”.
The Portugal star left Man Utd before the suspension started, so the punishment is moved to his new league, says media report.
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Article 12.1 of FIFA’s Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players says: “Any disciplinary sanction of up to four matches or up to three months that has been imposed on a player by the former association but has not yet (entirely) been served by the time of the transfer shall be enforced by the new association at which the player has been registered in order for the sanction to be served at domestic level.”
It means that the football legend can’t play on Thursday or Saturday, when the top of the table meets the team in second place, Al-Shabab. After the phone-slapping incident, CR7 posted an apology on Instagram.
He said, “It’s never easy to deal with feelings when things are hard, like they are now. Still, we should always be polite, patient, and set a good example for young people who love the beautiful game.
“I’m sorry for my outburst, and if it’s possible, I’d like to invite this fan to a game at Old Trafford as a sign of fair play and good sportsmanship.” On January 21, Al Nassr will play Ettifaq at home. Cristiano Ronaldo will be able to play in that game.
