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Cristiano Ronaldo in the Al-Nassr jersey
Photo: Yasser Bakhsh / Getty Images
Soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has been suspended for one game after a gesture that was perceived as obscene.
This was announced by the Saudi Arabian Football Association.
Ronaldo's gesture caused great excitement and criticism in Saudi Arabia.
Videos circulating online showed the 39-year-old Portuguese apparently gesturing towards opposing fans and making hand movements in his lumbar area after his team Al-Nassr's 3-2 win against Al Shabab on Sunday.
He had previously put his hand to his ear.
Indignant reactions online
In the videos, shouts of “Messi” can be heard from the stands.
Lionel Messi is Ronaldo's long-time rival, especially when it comes to awards for individual achievements.
According to media reports, the scene was not shown on TV, but videos of it quickly circulated on the Internet and caused outraged reactions.
The Saudi Football Association then launched an investigation.
Ronaldo scored from a penalty in the first half of the win and leads the league's top scorer list with 22 goals.
Al Nassr is in second place in the table, four points behind Al Hilal.
aha/dpa