"Cristiano Ronaldo has never had it easy", "Has bankrupted the club" - Fans react as FIFA ban Al-Nassr from registering new players

Fans online have reacted to the news that FIFA had blocked Al-Nassr, Cristiano Ronaldo's current club, from registering new players.

As per the Mirror, the Saudi Arabian giants, now burdened with a ban, will not be adding to their ranks until they pay their debts.

This contentious event traces its roots back to an unresolved transaction between Al-Nassr and Leicester City pertaining to the transfer of Ahmed Musa in 2018. According to MARCA, having signed Musa from Leicester, Al-Nassr agreed to a total payout of over €15 million to the Foxes.

Yet, as FIFA ruled, the Saudi club did not honor the agreed-upon sum. They fell short by €460,000 plus interest, which were set aside for performance-related incentives.

FIFA had previously issued a warning to Al-Nassr in October 2021. The club was informed that they would face a transfer ban should they fail to pay the remaining sum to Leicester.

Now, it appears that Al-Nassr failed to heed this warning and, consequently, the ban has been enforced. This means that the club finds itself in a bind, unable to onboard new players from overseas. The original FIFA verdict cited that the ban would extend over three transfer windows. However, if they make payments urgently, the bans will reportedly be lifted.

This is according to a FIFA spokesperson who has spoken out on the Al-Nassr predicament, stating (via Fabrizio Romano):

"Al-Nassr is currently prevented from registering new players — this due to outstanding debts. Relevant bans will be lifted immediately upon the settlement of the debts being confirmed by the creditors concerned.”

Fans took to Twitter after the news broke to react. Here is a selection of their tweets, with some blaming Cristiano Ronaldo for the club's financial difficulties:

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Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr will look to pay their debts urgently

According to MARCA, Al-Nassr have pinpointed the genesis of this crisis to an era prior to the Public Investment Fund (PIF) takeover. The club indicated that the structural changes under the new ownership would rectify the situation, ensuring that such a mishap doesn't repeat itself.

The Saudi Arabian giants pledged to immediately settle the outstanding payment for Musa, to relieve them of the transfer ban imposed by FIFA. This does not appear to have put a dent in Al-Nassr's high-profile recruitments, following their signing of Cristiano Ronaldo earlier this year.

The Saudi club has continued to flex its financial muscle, securing the signature of Croatian midfielder Marcelo Brozovic from Inter Milan. Speculations are rife, as big names like Domenico Berardi and Hakim Ziyech are tipped to join their ever-expanding roster of stars.