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Al Nassr are reportedly planning to appeal against the red card that Cristiano Ronaldo received in their 2-1 loss to Al Hilal in the Saudi Super Cup semi-final on Tuesday.
The Portuguese star received his first booking following an argument with the referee over the opening goal of the game, which was ruled out by VAR after he was considered offside despite not getting a touch on the ball.
In the 86th minute, Cristiano Ronaldo was shown a straight red for lashing out at Al-Hilal defender Ali Al-Bulaihi, whom the 39-year-old apparently elbowed.
Now, the Knights of Najd are reportedly planning to appeal against the red card and bear the financial fees for the appeal, according to journalist Ahmed Aljadi.
Aljadi wrote on X:
"Al-Nasr intends to appeal against the red card that the legend Cristiano Ronaldo was exposed to in the last match with Al-Hilal in the Super Cup."
In the post-match conference, Al-Nassr boss Luís Castro addressed the incident, saying (via Goal.com):
"Ali Al-Bulayhi acted in front of the referee and Ronaldo. The decision was incorrect. The Al Hilal defender pretended that he was hit in the face, and it was a play on his part, and the contact was small, and they took advantage of Ronaldo’s provocation."
"The VAR referee was supposed to call the main referee, and this is my personal opinion," he continued.
The Portuguese manager also defended Ronaldo's behavior in the match, saying:
"I will not talk about the shot of the legend Cristiano Ronaldo because I do not see that he did anything that deserved to be expelled."
Ronaldo is facing a two-game suspension and could miss Al-Nassr's upcoming Saudi Pro League fixtures against Al-Fayha and Al-Khaleej.
Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr are second in the Saudi Pro League
Al-Nassr are currently second in the Saudi Pro League with 65 points in 27 matches, 12 behind table-toppers Al-Hilal. In their last five league fixtures, the Knights of Najd have one draw and four wins. They have seven league games remaining for the season.
Al-Nassr will play against Al-Fayha next in the Saudi Pro League on April 19, 2024.
The Knights of Najd have another chance at winning silverware this year. On May 1, 2024, they will play against Al-Khaleej in the semi-finals of the King Cup of Champions. The other two semi-finalists are Al-Ittihad and Al-Hilal, who play against each other on April 30, 2024.
