Ronaldo suffered a 'sensitive' groin injury, Al-Nassr explains captain's obscene gesture

Veteran football sensation Cristiano Ronaldo had suffered a "sensitive" groin injury which had led him to make the gesture that had riled fans after the Al-Nassr vs Al-Hilal match yesterday, the Al Nassr board told journalist Muhammed Al-Enezi.

After the charged match between the two sides yesterday during which his side suffered a 2-0 defeat, the Al-Nassr captain came under heat as fans called for his expulsion from the country.

As the Portugal great walked off the field at the end of the match, Al-Hilal fans began to chant the name of Lionel Messi — Ronaldo's greatest rival.

In response to the chants, the Al-Nassr captain grabbed his crotch in their direction. The obscene gesture caused widespread outrage and football fans throughout the country began to call for the captain's expulsion from Saudi Arabia.

The gesture was doubly offensive. Not was it considered too obscene — especially since the Saudi country is observing the holy month of Ramadan — but also because Ronaldo had ‘abused’ fans, which has led to a social media trend terming him a ‘fan abuser’.

Following the calls for his expulsion, Al-Nassr tried to explain away the gesture. Playing down the significance of the gesture, the club attributed the gesture to a "sensitive" injury in the groin region, and not an intent to disrespect.

The club's board spoke to journalist Muhammed Al-Enezi regarding the matter, who in a statement said: "Ronaldo suffers from an injury. His challenge with Gustavo Cuellar, the Al-Hilal player, started with a blow in a very sensitive area. This is confirmed information. As for the fans' explanations, they are free to think whatever they want.”

Earlier, Ronaldo was booked for a WWE-style tackle, narrowly missing a red card.