Al-Nassr, the club that employs Cristiano Ronaldo, is currently facing a transfer ban issued by FIFA. The Saudi Pro League side recently received a sizable cash injection, after handing over majority ownership to the Public Investment Fund. However, their plans for recruiting talented players have been abruptly halted due to FIFA’s decision.
🚨 | Al Nassr ‘banned’ from registering new players by FIFA due to signing completed in 2018 pic.twitter.com/JpfTWJdfLt
— SPORTbible (@sportbible) July 12, 2023
Al-Nassr had been informed about the possibility of a transfer ban back in 2021. The reason behind the ban concerns the transfer of Ahmed Musa from Leicester City. The Nigerian, who joined the club in 2018, triggered multiple performance-related add-ons on top of the base transfer fee. As per reports, these payments add up to a sum of around $500,000.
Al-Nassr have been banned by FIFA from registering new players for failing to pay add-ons owed to Leicester as part of the Ahmed Musa deal. Between 2018-20 Musa triggered £390k (€460k) in performance-related add-ons, which are yet to be paid despite CAS ruling in #LCFC‘s favour. pic.twitter.com/IlR1T2kuuE
— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) July 12, 2023
Despite agreeing to the terms, Al-Nassr has failed to make these payments to Leicester. As per a CAS ruling, the SPL side needed to clear these dues around the time of Musa’s release in 2021. They were also warned that failing to do so would result in a registration ban, which could last for up to three transfer windows.
Evidently, Al-Nassr failed to heed this warning. And now, FIFA has officially banned the club from registering any new players. In practice, this means that the club cannot recruit any new players until the ban is lifted. This puts Al-Nassr’s transfer activity in a state of limbo. The club was said to be in discussions over a deal for Hakim Ziyech. However, no new progress can be made with the ban in place.
When will the ban on Al-Nassr be lifted?
On a more positive note, the ban could possibly be lifted in a matter of weeks. The resolution hinges on Al-Nassr’s ability to make the payment swiftly, which they have indicated they will. Once the ban is lifted, the club can resume all transfer operations normally.
Al-Nassr failed to comply with the ruling resulting in the registration ban. Sources indicate it will be lifted in a matter of weeks providing Al-Nassr now make the payment promptly, which they have indicated they will.
— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) July 12, 2023
As per club sources, the issue is a result of improper management. Something that will be resolved under PIF ownership. Al-Nassr will have to move quickly to get the ban lifted, or they run the risk of losing out on their transfer targets.