Cristiano Ronaldo is being made to wait for his debut outing for new club Al-Nassr due to a two-game ban carried over from his time at Manchester United.
In November, the FA handed the attacker a two-match suspension after being found guilty of "improper and violent" conduct when he slapped a phone out of a young fan’s hand when United lost to Everton at Goodison Park in April last year. He was also fined £50,000 and warned about his future behaviour.
Amid the World Cup break, Ronaldo was unable to serve his ban prior to his United exit. A statement from the FA on November 23 read: "Cristiano Ronaldo has been suspended for two matches, fined £50,000 and warned as to his future conduct for a breach of FA Rule E3.
READ MORE: Cristiano Ronaldo faces fresh delay to Al-Nassr debut
"The forward admitted that his conduct after the final whistle of the Premier League game between Manchester United FC and Everton FC on Saturday 9 April 2022 was improper.
"An independent regulatory commission found that his conduct was both improper and violent during a subsequent hearing, and imposed these sanctions."
FIFA regulations dictate that such suspensions are carried across all club football around the planet, and as such Ronaldo is not able to play Al-Nassr’s first two games after arrival. The 37-year-old penned a deal reported to be worth £175m-a-year last week.
The Saudi Pro League leaders took on mid-table Al-Ta’ee on Friday with the club scheduled to play second-place Al-Shabab on January 14. It means their fixture at home to Ettifaq has been pencilled in as Ronaldo’s debut date.
However, the forward could yet be made to wait longer. Pro League rules outline that clubs are allowed to register no more than eight foreign first-team players and name only seven in a matchday squad.
Al-Nassr already have full capacity, with the likes of ex-Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina and former Bayern Munich midfielder Luiz Gustavo in their ranks. The club have confirmed they must unregister one of the current crop to allow Ronaldo to play.
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