Obscene Gesture + Scarf Stuffed in Pants

The incident: On 25 February 2024, in the Saudi Pro League, Al Nassr edged Al Shabab 3-2 at home. After the final whistle, with away fans chanting 'Messi, Messi' to provoke him, Ronaldo first stuffed a fan's scarf into his pants, then made a grabbing, pumping gesture at his crotch — an obscene gesture captured by broadcast cameras and mobile phones alike.

Provocation and response: Background audio clearly captured the 'Messi' chants. With the Messi-Ronaldo grudge approaching its 20th year, for Saudi fans chanting 'Messi' is virtually the 'nuclear button' against Ronaldo. But responding to terrace taunts with a vulgar gesture was far beyond the bounds of 'venting emotion', and its coarseness shocked the global audience.

Not the first time: It was not Ronaldo's first 'crotch-grab' row in Saudi. ESPN noted that in April 2023, after Al Nassr's 0-2 loss to Al Hilal, Ronaldo was filmed grabbing his genitals on his way to the bench. The same gesture surfacing repeatedly across contexts forms a disturbing pattern, hardly accidental.

Heavy sanction: On 28 February 2024 the Saudi FA's disciplinary and ethics committee announced its verdict: Ronaldo was banned one match and fined a total of 30,000 riyals (10,000 to the FA, 20,000 paid to Al Shabab as complaint fees — about $8,000). The committee stressed the ruling was not subject to appeal, striking a firm tone.

Public outcry: The incident was widely covered by Reuters, ABC, The Guardian and other international outlets; criticism inside Saudi Arabia was sharpest. As the Pro League's top billboard star and a tourism ambassador, Ronaldo's behaviour was seen as disrespecting the host culture — in a society extremely sensitive to propriety and religious etiquette, crotch gestures are an untouchable taboo, far graver than a football matter.

Image blowback: Ironically, Ronaldo joined Saudi on a record salary (reportedly about €200M a year) tasked with 'lifting the league's global image'. Yet from the crotch-grab to the obscene gesture to the subsequent Saudi Super Cup elbow-red, a string of indiscretions has repeatedly put the Saudi league on global headlines for the wrong reasons — a major discount on the 'image project'.

The pattern: Add it to the pile: rather than answering on the pitch, Cristiano resorts to obscene gestures and provocations whenever the chants get to him. Hardly professional for a «global idol».