Cristiano Ronaldo handed one match ban, fine after obscene gesture

Cristiano Ronaldo has been suspended for one game. (Reuters)
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Updated 29 February 2024
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Cristiano Ronaldo handed one match ban, fine after obscene gesture

  • The Saudi Arabian Football Federation’s Ethics and Discipline Committee also ordered the Portuguese star to pay an additional SR20,000 to Al-Shabab, as compensation for the Riyadh club’s complaint filing fees

RIYADH: Al-Nassr striker Cristiano Ronaldo has been suspended for one match and fined SR10,000 ($2,666) after making an offensive gesture following his team’s victory over Al-Shabab in the Saudi Pro League on Sunday.

The Saudi Arabian Football Federation’s Ethics and Discipline Committee also ordered the Portuguese star to pay an additional SR20,000 to Al-Shabab, as compensation for the Riyadh club’s complaint filing fees.

Following the game on Sunday, videos posted on social media showed Ronaldo cupping his ear and repeatedly thrusting his hand forward near his pelvis, seemingly aimed at rival Al-Shabab supporters.

In the background, chants of “Messi” could be heard, referring to Ronaldo’s longstanding football rival from Argentina.

The committee called in the five-time Ballon d’Or winner to hear his response to the complaint filed by Al-Shabab, and asked the official broadcaster to provide footage of the incident in question.

The committee said in a statement that the decision is non-appealable.

This is not the first time that the Portuguese legend has been at the heart of fan controversy.

Earlier this month, the star was seen putting a scarf down his shorts before throwing it back at Al-Hilal fans after Al-Nassr loss in the Riyadh Season Cup. In the same game, the striker reacted angrily to Al-Hilal fans chanting the name of Lionel Messi.

Last year, the 39-year-old attacker grabbed his crotch after Al-Hilal fans taunted him by again invoking the name of the Argentine World Cup winner.


Masam Project clears mines in Taiz

Updated 13 February 2026
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Masam Project clears mines in Taiz

  • Materials disposed of included extensive war debris gathered by project personnel from Aden, Lahj, and Abyan

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Masam Project for landmine clearance in Yemen has dismantled 6,141 mines, unexploded ordnance, and munitions in the Bab Al-Mandab area of Taiz Governorate in western Yemen.

The special tasks team directed and carried out the disposal operation as part of sustained initiatives to eliminate landmines, improvised explosives, and unexploded ordnance endangering the civilian population — devices deployed by Iran-backed Houthi militia forces.

The destroyed materials included anti-personnel mines, anti-tank mines, various projectiles, diverse fuses, hand grenades, improvised explosive devices, two missiles, mixed ammunition, projectile fins, and five Katyusha rockets.

Materials disposed of included extensive war debris gathered by project personnel from Aden, Lahj, and Abyan.

Those involved in the operation adhered to international standards for destruction operations, despite challenges on the ground.

The Masam Project pursues humanitarian operations across Yemen’s governorates, confronting extensive landmine and improvised explosive contamination and working to secure conditions for the restoration of civilian life.