The Saudi Pro League has responded in a stern tone to Cristiano Ronaldo’s protest over perceived bias against his club Al-Nassr.
41 year old Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo turned down the opportunity to play in Al-Nassr’s 1-0 win over Al-Riyadh and plans to not feature in Al-Nassr’s game against Al-Ittihad tonight.
Ronaldo is reportedly unhappy over the Public Investment Fund (PIF)’s investment in the other clubs it owns compared to Al-Nassr.
The PIF owns clubs like Al-Hilal, Al-Ittihad and Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League and recently had Karim Benzema move from Al-Ittihad to Al-Hilal.
This development disappointed Ronaldo who wished for the club to make some signings in the January transfer window.
Benzema scored a hat-trick and added an assist in his debut game; in the lead up to Al-Nassr’s game tonight, the league issued a strong worded statement via a spokesperson according to ESPN in Ronaldo’s direction stating,
“The Saudi Pro League is structured around a simple principle: Every club operates independently under the same rules. Cristiano has been fully engaged with Al Nassr since his arrival and has played an important role in the club’s growth and ambition.”
“But no individual — however significant — determines decisions beyond their own club. Recent transfer activity demonstrates that independence clearly. One club strengthened in a particular way. Another chose a different approach. Those were club decisions, taken within approved financial parameters.”
