Cristiano Ronaldo was sanctioned with a one-match ban in the Saudi Arabian championship, and a fine of eight thousand dollars, due to a vulgar gesture made on the pitch last weekend.
The Saudi Football Federation said the Al-Nassr captain broke rules against public provocation during a match.
After his team's 3-2 win against Al-Shabab, Ronaldo made a vulgar gesture several times by putting one hand to his groin and another to his ear as the crowd jeered him by chanting Lionel Messi's name.
The related video went viral and rose to the top of trending topics on Saudi social media.
Sports newspaper Al-Riyadiya reported that Ronaldo said he respected all football teams and that the gesture expressed "strength and victory" - not offense - and was considered acceptable in Europe.
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