Al-Nassr superstar, Cristiano Ronaldo could be arrested and deported from Saudi Arabia after he grabbed his genitals while walking off the pitch on Tuesday.
Cristiano Ronaldo was playing for Al Nassr against Al Hilal on Tuesday when his club suffered a 2-0 defeat and fell three points behind league leaders Al-Ittihad in the SPL title race.
The Portuguese star, who endured a frustrating night as his Saudi outfit, was booked for a WWE-style tackle which earned him a yellow card, but he played the whole game in the 2-0 defeat.
While leaving the field, Ronaldo made an obscene gesture of grabbing his genitals in response to Al-Hilal’s fans who taunted him throughout the match with chants of his rival, Lionel Messi.
A video released on social media seemed to show the 38-year-old grabbing his crotch as he left the King Fahd International Stadium with the chants of ‘Messi’ ringing louder in his ear.
Reacting to his action, Saudi lawyer, Nouf bin Ahmed vowed to file a complaint against Cristiano Ronaldo, saying the footballer should be punished for his “crime of public indecency.
According to him, the crime entails arrest and deportation if committed by a foreigner, noting that he would file a complaint to the Saudi Prosecutor’s Office for his conduct.
“I don’t follow sports. Even if the crowd provoked Ronaldo, he didn’t know how to react. Cristiano’s behaviour is a crime,” Ahmed said on Twitter.
“It is considered a crime of public dishonour, and it is one of the crimes that entail arrest and deportation if committed by a foreigner.
“An indecent public act, which is one of the crimes that allows for arrest and deportation if committed by a foreigner. We will present a petition to the Public Ministry regarding the issue.”
“What was observed in the Al Nassr party. Specifically, Cristiano’s is a misdemeanor. An attack by Cristiano against an Al Hilal player is not related to the duel due to sports custom.
“It should be noted that Cristiano is known for his balance. What is the reason for the change in his behavior and his tendency to aggression after joining Al Nassr?”
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’, the report added.
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.
Mohamed al Anzi, who works for a sports programme, spoke with Al Nassr sources, who claim the Portugal star made the gesture because he suffered a knock during the match.
Other Saudi sports journalists, such as Ozman Abu Bakr, were left unimpressed and called on the Saudi Arabian Football Federation to terminate his contract.
This comes a few days after Rudi Garcia was sacked as the head coach of Al-Nassr due to his alleged strained relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo.