A lawyer in Saudi Arabia claims to have submitted a lawsuit calling for the arrest and deportation of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo, who moved to the country in December in a lucrative £175 million-a-year switch to Al Nassr, cut a frustrated figure in his latest appearance.
Nassr, having recently sacked manager Rudi Garcia, lost 2-0 to Odion Ighalo’s Al Hilal on Tuesday. Ronaldo was yellow-carded by referee Michael Oliver for an MMA-style headlock takedown on an opponent.
But it was his post-match antics that caused a serious stir. Not for the first time, Ronaldo was subjected to brutal Lionel Messi taunts at the end of the game as he stormed down the tunnel.
He appeared to respond by making a lewd, obscene gesture towards the home fans – grabbing his genitals.
But he could now find himself in serious trouble. Nouf bin Ahmed, a lawyer who works with the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law, took to Twitter to call for the 38-year-old to be punished.
She wrote: “I don’t follow sport. Even if the crowd provoked Ronaldo, he didn’t know how to react. Cristiano’s behavior is a crime. An indecent public act, which is one of the crimes that allows for arrest and deportation if committed by a foreigner. We will present a petition to the Public Ministry regarding the issue”.
Following up, the advisor claims to have submitted the lawsuit to Public Ministry and pledged to keep the public “informed of the case”.
“The Lawsuit has been submitted to the P.P. against Cristiano. We will keep you informed of the case,” the lawyer tweeted.
“It is considered a crime of public dishonor, and it is one of the crimes that entail arrest and deportation if committed by a foreigner.”
Some journalists demanded that the Saudi Arabian Football Federation terminate his contract, but Al Nassr say Ronaldo was simply grabbing the groin area as a result of an injury.
The club commented: “Ronaldo is suffering from an injury. A duel with Gustavo Cuellar (Al Hilal) started with Ronaldo being hit in a very sensitive area. This is confirmed information. The fans may think what they want.”
Ronaldo is technically breaking a strict Saudi law by living with his partner Georgina Rodriguez when they are not married.
However, the relevant authorities made an exception for the power couple, who were initially living in a Four Seasons hotel before recently relocating to an exclusive compound.