Cristiano Ronaldo faces a 24-hour wait to discover whether his debut for Al Nassr will be delayed until the end of January after the Saudi Arabian club’s league game against Al Tae’e on Thursday was postponed because of an electrical fault caused by heavy rain at Mrsool Park.
Al Nassr are attempting to reschedule the game for Friday, but a failure to do so will deny Ronaldo the chance to serve the first game of his two-match suspension.
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In a statement, Al Nassr said: “Due to heavy rain and weather conditions impacting the stadium’s electricity, we have been officially informed that tonight’s match against Al Tae’e is postponed for 24 hours.
“We apologise for any inconvenience caused to fans and wish everyone safe travels.”
Ronaldo, who signed a 2½-year deal worth $75 million a year at Al Nassr on Dec. 30, is pencilled in to make his debut for the Saudi Pro League side once he completes a two-match suspension imposed by the English Football Association in November for knocking a phone out of an Everton fan’s hand in a game with Manchester United at Goodison Park last season.
FIFA rules state that suspensions imposed by national associations must still be served by players in the event of a transfer to a different country before the ban has been completed. Ronaldo’s ban was confirmed after his United contract was cancelled during the World Cup.
With the 37-year-old unable to play against Al Tae’e or in the Jan. 14 fixture against Riyadh rivals Al Shabab, Ronaldo’s first opportunity to play for Al Nassr will be against Al-Ettifaq at Mrsool Park on Jan. 22.
If the game against Al Tae’e cannot be rescheduled this month, however, Ronaldo’s suspension would then cover the games against Al Shabab and Al-Ettifaq, setting his debut for the Saudi Super Cup semifinal against Al Ittihad in Jeddah on Jan. 25.