Cristiano Ronaldo seemed to make an offensive gesture at fans during Al-Nassr’s 2-0 loss to Al-Hilal on Tuesday night, prompting a Saudi lawyer to ask for his expulsion from the kingdom.
In reaction to supporters screaming the name of his rival Lionel Messi, the 38-year-old was seen in a social media video appearing to touch his crotch as he exited the ground.
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Regarding the event, attorney Nouf bin Ahmed has reacted by calling for Ronaldo to face harsh punishment.
“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.
