Why Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr have been banned from transfers

The major theme of the transfer window this summer has been big players leaving Europe for the riches of the Saudi Pro League.

The Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF) recently took a majority share in four teams – Al Ahli, Al Hilal, Al Ittihad and Al Nassr – offering European players wages that previously seemed unimaginable.

However, one of those sides won’t be making new signings for a while. That is Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr; they may be 75% controlled by PIF, but FIFA have stepped in to slap them with a transfer ban.

FIFA have taken the decision to place an immediate transfer embargo on Al Nassr until some sort of resolution can be found about outstanding transfer payments after they signed Ahmed Musa from Leicester City.

There is an expectation Al Nassr will pay up and the embargo lifted. FIFA have taken this measure because Al Nassr were given plenty of warnings about the payments which they chose to ignore.

The ban refers to all domestic and international transfers and came into immediate effect on July 11. FIFA have been clear that they cannot register any player until the unpaid transfer fees are given to Leicester, when the ban will then be lifted. Considering the amount of money Al Nassr have to play with, they would be wise to get it paid before too many potential new signings decide to go elsewhere.

This is the funny part. We all know how rich Al Nassr are, given they are paying Cristiano Ronaldo an incredible £177m per year.

The deal that took Ahmed Musa from Leicester to Al Nassr in 2018 was an initial £14m transfer fee, which was apparently paid in full straight away. The discrepancy is in relation to the agreed performance add-ons.

Musa was fairly successful at Al Nassr, scoring 14 times in 62 appearances. He also helped them to win the Saudi Pro League title in 2019. That is what triggered a £390,000 additional fee that Al Nassr owed Leicester.

FIFA has ruled on this particular matter in the past. They said Al Nassr owe the £390,000 and interest in October 2021. They were given three ‘entire and consecutive registration periods’ to make the payment or else they risked a ban.

If you hear that a Saudi Arabian club has been banned for not paying a transfer fee, you’d assume it’s a pretty massive payment. It is not clear what the interest is, but the fee is tiny compared to the figures currently being thrown around by Al Nassr.

READ MORE ON THE PLAYERS LINKED TO SAUDI ARABIA & THE MONEY ON OFFER

The major player at Al Nassr right now is, of course, Cristiano Ronaldo. He was slightly ahead of the curve as he made the move at the start of 2023.

Al Nassr set a new transfer record for the club when they signed Pity Martinez from Atlanta United for £14m and they also brought in Talisca. The latest notable player to make the move, just before the ban was put in place, was Marcelo Brozovic.

His £15.3m move broke Al Nassr’s transfer record again as he signed from Inter. Given the big transfers Al Ahli, Al Ittihad and Al Hilal have been making, there is no way Al Nassr were planning to stop there.

They will want to get the ban lifted as soon as possible because with each day that passes, more and more prospective arrivals will eliminate Al Nassr as an option.