Ronaldo Fires Back at Referee Bias Claims: “This Is Not Good for the League”

Cristiano Ronaldo had just helped Al Nassr beat Al Ahli 2-0, a result that pushed his side closer to the Saudi Pro League title. But when the post-match interview turned to refereeing, his tone shifted.

Speaking to Thmanyah after the win, Ronaldo did not hold back about what he has been watching unfold across the league. “I think this is not good for the league,” he said. “Many players have complained, making posts on Instagram and Facebook, speaking about the referees, speaking about the league, and speaking about the project. This is not good. This is not the goal of the league.”

The comments landed in the middle of a storm that had been building for weeks.

Al Ahli striker Ivan Toney had accused Saudi Pro League referees of favouring Al Nassr in the title race after his side were held to a 1-1 draw by Al Fayha — a result that left them four points behind Ronaldo’s side, who also had a game in hand. Three penalty appeals were waved away by the referee that night, two of them after full VAR reviews.

Toney went further, claiming that during one of those VAR checks, the referee turned to Al Ahli players and told them to “focus on the AFC” — a reference to the Asian Champions League. “How can a referee say that?” Toney said. “We talk to him, and he tells us to focus on the AFC?” When asked directly which team was benefiting from the decisions, Toney said: “We know for whom. Those we’re chasing.”

That was the context Ronaldo was walking into when he spoke. His response was calm but pointed. He pushed back on the idea that Al Nassr were being favoured, defended the referees, and told players to take their complaints through the proper channels rather than social media.

He also promised there was more to come. “I am going to speak at the end of the season because I’ve seen many, many bad things,” he said. “It’s been a difficult season, not just on the pitch but off it. I will have the opportunity to speak at the end of the season.”

That line matters. Ronaldo is not dismissing the problems entirely — he is saying he is aware of them and choosing his moment. Whatever he has seen, he is not ready to say it all yet.

His broader argument is about the league’s reputation. He believes the constant internal bickering undermines the significant investment and progress the Saudi Pro League has made since he arrived in Riyadh in December 2022. He has publicly stated that the league is already in the top five in the world and that it continues to improve. Public fights between players and officials, in his view, threaten all of that.

As for Toney, Saudi legal adviser Salman Al-Ramali told local media that his statements were detrimental to the league and that the case would be formally pursued. A suspension was being discussed, with the 2026 World Cup hanging in the background as a consequence.

Two of the league’s biggest names. A title race that is tightening. And a referee controversy that is not going away quietly.

Ronaldo says he will speak at the end of the season. That conversation should be worth hearing.