Ronaldo Misses Match Over PIF Transfer Dispute

Cristiano Ronaldo will be out of his second consecutive game at Al Nassr amidst a high stakes standoff with Saudi officials. The 41-year-old Portuguese superstar did not feature in the win over Al Ittihad on Friday. This is after missing out on Monday in the victory over Al Riyadh. Al Nassr is still competitive in the field, but the scandal behind the scene is getting to be a breaking point.

This problem is due to the frustrations of Ronaldo towards the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF). He feels that the fund has not delivered in terms of remodeling the management of the club. In addition, he is said to be angry at what he sees as a lack of support during the January transfer window. His fury reached the point when his ex-team mate, Karim Benzema, was granted the right to join the opponents, Al Hilal, of the Al Ittihad. Ronaldo believes that Al Nassr is being left out in the talent arms race.

The fans in Al-Awwal Park remained loyal even in his absence. Yellow placards with his name were scattered all over the stadium in the seventh minute. It was a very strong statement to the board: the supporters are on the side of their captain. The Saudi Pro League has however made a stern warning. According to them, a single player can not affect decision-making outside of his or her team. They stressed that all the clubs should be governed by the same independent rules.

This controversy places the league in a bad situation. Ronaldo is the brand of Saudi football, but the league cannot not allow a player to become a policy maker. In the meantime, Al Nassr keeps on winning in his absence. They have now moved to second place behind Al Hilal by a single point. The club is doing so, yet a question is looming. Is it in case their star player is on strike? It is possible that this power struggle is the future of the league.