FIFA, the international governing body for football, has imposed a registration ban on Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr due to outstanding debts. This means that the club is currently prohibited from registering new players until the debts are settled. The ban will be lifted as soon as the club confirms the settlement of its debts with the concerned creditors.
Al-Nassr, a prominent club in the Saudi Pro League, finished as runners-up in the league last season. They made headlines earlier this year when they signed Portugal’s national team captain, Cristiano Ronaldo, in January. They also recently acquired Croatian midfielder Marcelo Brozovic from Inter Milan. However, their plans for further player acquisitions have been put on hold due to the registration ban.
Reports suggest that the outstanding debts are related to the transfer of Nigerian attacker Ahmed Musa, who joined Al-Nassr from English side Leicester City in 2018. FIFA previously ruled in October 2021 that Al-Nassr owed a sum of €460,000 (approximately $513,544) to Leicester City for the signing of Musa.
During his time at Al-Nassr, Ahmed Musa played 62 matches across various competitions, scoring 14 goals. However, he left the club in 2020.
Reuters has reached out to Al-Nassr for comment on the registration ban, but no official statement has been released thus far.
It is important to note that last month, the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) unveiled the Sports Clubs Investment and Privatisation Project, which involves several Saudi clubs, including Al-Nassr. Under this project, PIF owns a 75% stake in each of the four participating clubs, while the remaining 25% is owned by their respective non-profit foundations. The project aims to promote development and investment in Saudi Arabian football clubs.