In the Saudi Super Cup clash against Al Hilal, Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off after elbowing Al Hilal’s defender Ali Albulayhi. Ronaldo even made a shocking gesture against the referee. As a result, what was supposed to be a one-match suspension was changed to a two-match ban. Consequently, the Al Nassr management had sent a request to the stakeholders of the Super Cup to overturn the ban, as the team believed that the incident was a common occurrence in the chaos of a soccer match and hence didn’t warrant the red card. However, as per reports, the disciplinary committee has made their decision, and it seems they don’t share Al Nassr’s point of view.

As per reports on X, the disciplinary committee will uphold their decision to suspend Cristiano Ronaldo for 2 games. This means the 5 time Ballon d’Or winner will miss the games against Al Feiha and Al-Khaleeja. Notably, his return will be against Al Khaleej in the King Cup semi-final on May 1st. For Al Nassr, this could actually be a blessing in disguise.

At 39 years of age, Cristiano Ronaldo is well past his athletic prime. However, his impressive form (29 goals in 25 league matches), means Castro seldom has the opportunity to rest him. Moreover, with Al Hilal enjoying a 12-point lead in the league, the King Cup is Castro’s best chance to win a trophy. As a result, having a rested and fresh CR7 could do wonders for the team.

It is safe to say the referee had a big part in Al Nassr crashing out of the Saudi Super Cup. Moreover, there were even allegations of a refereeing bias in favour of Al Hilal. As a result, it seems Cristiano Ronaldo & Co are planning to avoid a repeat of the same.

Al Nassr request foreign referees for the King Cup

It seems the Knights of Najd have had enough with the local referees. Previously, it was reported that Al Nassr wanted foreign referees for the King Cup semi-final against Al Khaleej. It remains to be seen if the demand will be met. Notably, Al Nassr had the option of having a foreign referee for the Super Cup clash against Al Hilal. However, in the end, both teams turned a blind eye, and reputed Saudi referee Muhammad Al-Huwaish was in charge of the contest.

Unfortunately for Al-Huwaish, the match wasn’t a pleasant experience. His decision to send off Cristiano Ronaldo was not appreciated by everyone. Hence, he was abused by fans on social media. Per recent reports, Al-Huwaish is in talks with a legal firm to file a complaint against his abusers! It seems he won’t be keen to officiate an Al Nassr game in the near future.

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