Cristiano Ronaldo will not be able to make his Al Nassr debut against Al Tai on Thursday, as initially thought, because he’s banned.
The 37-year-old arrived in Saudi Arabia this week and was ready to make his debut for his new club against Al Tai, the team of former Kaizer Chiefs striker Knowledge Musona.
However, he is still carrying a two-match ban from his time at Manchester United.
He was handed the suspension for smashing a phone out of the hands from a teenager after a match against Everton and his ban, although handed out by the English Football Association, must also be served in Saudi Arabia, according to FIFA law.
“Any disciplinary sanction of up to four matches or up to three months that has been imposed on a player by the previous association but not yet (fully) served at the time of transfer shall be enforced by the new association with which the player is registered in order for the sanction to be enforced at national level,” Marca cite FIFA.
As a consequence, Ronaldo will also miss Al Nassr’s next match at Al Shabab and only be able to make his debut against Al Ittifaq on 21 January.
Al Nassr currently sit at the top of the Saudi Pro League log, one point ahead of Al Shabab.
