Cristiano Ronaldo insists gesture that saw him banned is 'normal'

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Cristiano Ronaldo insists gesture that saw him banned is 'normal'
Ronaldo was hit with ban and fine for responding to 'Messi' chants in Saudi Pro League fixture
CR7 has previously attracted attention for outbursts in the Middle East
Former Real Madrid forward insisted he meant no disrespect

By Jude Summerfield
Mar 11, 2024
Ronaldo picked up a fine and suspension
Ronaldo picked up a fine and suspension / FAYEZ NURELDINE/GettyImages
Cristiano Ronaldo has reiterated the gesture that saw him banned and fined in the Saudi Pro League is "very normal" in Europe.

It emerged in late February that Ronaldo was facing an investigation after responding to fan chants of 'Messi' by repeatedly thrusting his hand in front of his groin in the aftermath of Al Nassr's 3-2 win over Al Shabab.

The former Real Madrid and Manchester United forward was then handed a one-game suspension and fined by the Disciplinary and Ethics Committee of the Saudi Arabia Football Federation.

While stopping short of explicitly apologising, Ronaldo again claimed the act is normal in his home continent and added he got carried away during a moment of elation.

Cristiano Ronaldo
Ronaldo has return from his suspension / Yasser Bakhsh/GettyImages
He said: "What I did was a misunderstanding.

"I will always respect the cultures of all countries, as I have respected to this day, but not always what people see is reality.

"As I said and I will say again, it is obvious that I will not do it again in this country, but in Europe, it is very normal.

"Sometimes the passion and excitement of the game leads us to make some mistakes. Whenever I make them, I don't do it on purpose. Every day I try to be a better man.

"What I can promise is that I am a player who gives everything on the field, a player with passion, a player who always wants to win.

"I'm a player who doesn't like to see people doing unsportsmanlike things. I am happy to be in Saudi Arabia and happy to represent Al Nassr."

Al Nassr's bid for the Saudi Pro League title looks set to be a fruitless one, currently sitting 12 points behind leaders Al Hilal.

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Ange Postecoglou hands Tottenham boost over Micky van de Ven injury
Van de Ven suffered an injury in the win over Aston Villa
The defender hobbled off in the 49th minute
He was replaced by new signing Dragusin

By Jack Gallagher
Mar 11, 2024
Van de Ven went off injured
Van de Ven went off injured / Catherine Ivill/GettyImages
Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou has revealed that Micky van de Ven's latest injury setback doesn't appear to be "anything too significant".

The centre-back hobbled off in Tottenham's huge 4-0 victory over Aston Villa on Sunday - a win which sees Spurs go within two points of the top four with a game in-hand over Villa - after initially flagging a hamstring injury at the tail-end of the first half.

After trudging through the opening minutes of the second half, Van de Ven eventually went down and was replaced by Radu Dragusin in the heart of the Spurs defence.

Van de Ven's latest hamstring injury will have been of huge concern to Tottenham fans, especially after witnessing their team fall off the pace in the Premier League title race during a ten-game spell the defender missed earlier in the season with a similar ailment.

Micky van de Ven
The defender suffered another injury setback / James Gill - Danehouse/GettyImages
Speaking to the press after the win, however, manager Postecoglou informed fans that the 22-year-old defender does not believe his latest injury is one to worry about.

"I'm not sure, he doesn't think it's anything too significant. So disappointing for him because he was outstanding again up until that point," explained Postecoglou.

In Van de Ven's absence, January signing Dragusin impressed alongside Cristian Romero, helping his team to a crucial clean sheet at Villa Park. Postecoglou was also keen to heap praise of his January signing.

"Great for Radu to come in, his first significant game time in a big game and I thought he handled it really well," the boss said.

The Romanian centre-back could now be in line for his first ever Tottenham start next weekend in a clash with Fulham at Craven Cottage. Dragusin has made just four Premier League appearances off the bench since his move from Genoa, garnering 49 minutes of gametime in total.

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'No-one gets to see it' - Inside Trey Nyoni's Leicester City pathway, Liverpool exit and tribunal case
Leicester City news as LeicestershireLive takes an insight inside academy talent Trey Nyoni's move to Liverpool in the summer

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BY JOSH HOLLAND
06:00, 11 MAR 2024
Trey Nyoni
Liverpool starlet Trey Nyoni left Leicester City in the summer(Image: Andrew Powell)
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Liverpool's Carabao Cup win over Chelsea at Wembley Stadium made the headlines for a number of different reasons. Jurgen Klopp's farewell tour started in the best possible way but there was a sporadic Leicester City connection to their win.


Attacking midfielder Trey Nyoni was named on the Liverpool bench due to the injury crisis in Klopp's squad. The 2007-born ace wasn't used at Wembley but he did make his senior debut three days later in the FA Cup against Southampton.



Replacing Harvey Elliott in the 78th minute, the former Foxes academy star became the Reds' third youngest player in their history at 16 years and 243 days.

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Nyoni joined Liverpool in the summer after progressing through the Leicester youth academy. However, the details over his move to Anfield are yet to be ironed out and is subject to a tribunal.

Recently, Chelsea were told at a Professional Football Compensation Committee (PFCC) hearing that they are required to pay Brighton up to £7.65million for teenagers Zak Sturge and Shumaira Mhueka - who they signed in 2022. The fee was split up into £1.9m up-front - £1m for Mhueka and £900k for Sturge - with the remaining coming from potential add-ons.

Liverpool have a history of snatching talent from other teams and seeing the deal go through tribunal. In 2019, they signed Elliott as a 16-year-old but could not agree on a compensation fee with Fulham. Nearly two years later it was confirmed that Fulham would receive a record fee for a 16-year-old (£4.3m) after a tribunal ruling.

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