Last Saturday, former Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo made his debut for Al-Nassr, and he was instrumental in a close 1-0 victory against Ettifaq. Because of an FA suspension that followed him to the Middle East, the Portuguese forward winner had to postpone his debut with his new team.
This made everyone eagerly await the 37-year-debut, old's and unlike at Old Trafford, he was immediately given the captain's armband. Rudi Garcia, the manager, decided to give the veteran the captain's armband right away, which meant Abudullah Madu had to take a back seat.
Although he played in an thrilling Al-Hilal/Al-Nassr All-Star game against Paris Saint-Germain last week, this was his first official game since signing a staggering €200 million per year contract with the club last month. However, it's becoming more unlikely that supporters will see him back on the field anytime soon.
Why Al-Nassr may have to do without Cristiano Ronaldo for a while?
The Italian Football Association's tribunal handed down their verdict last week, finding Ronaldo's former club, Juventus guilty of transfer violations and docking them 15 points as a result. The Bianconeri dropped from tied for second to 10th as a result, and 11 current or previous board members were also suspended.
Now, Italian media claims that their penalty might extend to all of the players who were on the team at the time of the fraudulent accounting event, rather than simply the club themselves. An investigation into whether the players accepted artificially reduced salaries might lead to a 30-day suspension, even if the players are no longer affiliated with the Turin club, claims Italian journalist Paolo Ziliani.
On Twitter, he posted financial statements for Juventus, suggesting: "Juventus allegedly signed an agreement with players stating that 3 out of the 4 months of renounced wages (covid hit, early 2020) would be paid off the balance sheet, spread over time. Juventus captain Chiellini allegedly told the team not to share this detail with the media, … and said a WhatsApp message was acquired as proof.
“23 + 17 players (across two seasons, including coach Sarri) could be banned for at least 30 days due to accepting being paid off-balance sheet. This would apply also to players (and coach Sarri) who are not at Juventus anymore.
"Juventus could be sanctioned with further point deductions and fines ranging from 1 to 3 times the amount in question. Ronaldo's deferred wages alone are worth €19.6m. Further sanctions could include automatic relegation and revocation of titles (scudetto of 2019-20).”
