FIFA announced on Thursday that Cristiano Ronaldo's Saudi club, Al-Nassr, has been prohibited from registering new players until their unpaid debts are resolved.
The team "is currently prevented from registering new players due to outstanding debts", a Fifa spokesperson told AFP, without revealing the amount of the debts.
FIFA did not provide information regarding the potential impact of the sanction on the recent transfer of Croatia midfielder Marcelo Brozovic from Inter Milan.
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"The relevant bans will be lifted immediately upon the settlement of the debts being confirmed by the creditors concerned," the spokesperson added.
In October 2021, a FIFA-appointed judge ruled that Al-Nassr must pay Leicester City a sum of 460,000 euros ($514,000) plus interest as part of a dispute regarding the transfer of Nigeria international Ahmed Musa.
Ahmed Musa had joined Al-Nassr in 2018 for a transfer fee of 18 million euros. However, he departed the club two years later and subsequently played for Turkey's Sivasspor during the last season.
According to the ruling at the time, in the event of non-payment Al-Nassr could be banned from recruiting players for up to "three entire and consecutive registration periods".
The Saudi Pro League, supported by the sovereign wealth fund of the Gulf kingdom, is wooing top players from the top European leagues with the promise of enormous earnings.
Since Ronaldo's transfer to Al-Nassr in January, the trend has continued, with Steven Gerrard, a former captain of Liverpool, taking over as coach at Al-Ettifaq earlier this month. Karim Benzema and N'Golo Kante have also moved to the oil-rich Gulf state.
