Cristiano Ronaldo has given a defiant response to growing criticism of refereeing decisions, which are allegedly favouring his club, Al-Nassr.
Ronaldo’s team secured a 2-0 victory over Al Ahli in the Arab Championship match, taking a firm grip at the top of the table.
However, Al Ahli defender Merih Demiral was seen complaining that the league “always pushes Al-Nassr” to win titles.
“I think this is not good for the league. Everyone complains, everyone makes it bigger than it needs to be. It’s football, it’s not war,” Ronaldo said.
“We know we have to fight; everyone wants to win, but not everything is permissible. I will take the time to talk about this at the end of the season, because I see a lot of negative things.
“There are many players who complain, post on social media about the referee, the league, the project… I think this is not good, because this is not the objective of this championship.”
“We have to set an example, not only here, but also for Europe. We want to compete to be one of the best leagues in the world.”
“We need to analyze this and stop it, talk to the league, because for me this is not football,” he concluded.
If Ronaldo and his teammates manage to win their next two matches in the championship, they will automatically be declared champions of Saudi Arabia.
