Al Nassr remains on shaky ground since their Saudi Super Cup exit against Al Hilal. Everything went wrong for Luis Castro and his team during the semi-final stage of the competition, with a major highlight being their star player, Cristiano Ronaldo, getting sent off. While the red card brings repercussions for CR7 in the form of a lengthy absence, Al Nassr is reportedly urging a disciplinary committee to overturn Ronaldo’s ban.

Per X account, @X99i3, the Knights of the Najd sent a special request to the stakeholders of the tournament, suggesting that the Portuguese superstar’s red card was unwarranted. Rather, the team in Yellow believes it was simply a typical occurrence in soccer and did not constitute misconduct. Notably, Ronaldo’s red card suspension spans one match. However, the tournament’s disciplinary committee is debating whether to extend the ban to another match due to what they perceive as his disgraceful behavior. The 39-year-old had not only collided with a rival Al Hilal player but even made a shocking gesture against the referee.

This would have seen Ronaldo return to action next month. Hence, it remains to be seen if the disciplinary committee agrees to Al Nassr’s request. Should they uphold the suspension, the striker will be absent for the next two Saudi League fixtures against Al Feiha and Al Khaleej. Subsequently, the former Real Madrid star is set to make a direct appearance in the King’s Cup semi-finals on Wednesday, May 1st, against the same opponents, Al-Khaleej. Speaking of which, Al Nassr’s demands don’t end here, as they also brought another major request to the table for their King’s Cup clash. 

Al Nassr requests a foreign referee for the King’s Cup amid the red card controversy surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo

Earlier reports indicated that Al Nassr had requested foreign referees for their King’s Cup semifinal against Al-Khaleej. This decision followed their disappointment in the Super Cup, where they suffered a 2-1 defeat against Al Hilal. Their rivals from Riyadh went on to clinch the title with a victory over Al Ittihad, leaving Al Nassr without any silverware so far this season. Interestingly, this isn’t the first time Al Nassr has made such a plea.

Previously, they had the opportunity to make a similar request when the Saudi Arabia Football Association (SAFF) presented the option before the Super Cup semifinal. However, both teams opted against it, leading to the appointment of renowned Saudi League referee Muhammad Al-Huwaish. Unfortunately, this decision didn’t favor Al Nassr. It appears they are now unwilling to leave anything to chance for the upcoming King’s Cup fixture.

Nevertheless, for now, they must be focused on altering the lengthy suspension of Cristiano Ronaldo. Failing in this mission will certainly turn out to be a huge blow for them.