[Sport] Cristiano Ronaldo unhappy over organizers' behavior on 8th China tour

[Profesoruツ]

Football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo's injury has forced Al Nassr to cancel its two-game China tour. However, the Portuguese forward was even more displeased with his 8th China tour due to the behavior of event organizers. The 38-year-old was even asked to play despite his injury, according to China News Weekly. Al-Nassr were scheduled to play Shanghai Shenhua on January 24 and Zhejiang four days later in Shenzhen, with both games now postponed due to Ronaldo's physical issues, tour organizers announced on Tuesday. At a press conference on Tuesday night, Ronaldo said: "I apologize to all Chinese fans. As you know, in football, there are things that cannot be controlled. I know everyone is sad, and I am too." However, other statements within the past few days have meant a disappointing end to his 8th trip to China, a country he calls a "second home."

The organizers of the matches, SPORT17 and GHY Culture & Media, despite his knowledge, continued to publicly claim that Ronaldo would play in the matches. They even tried to persuade him to "play for the fans" on one public occasion which left him quite dissatisfied, China News Weekly reported. Al Nassr FC disclosed Ronaldo's injury on January 19. Many fans then questioned whether Ronaldo could play in subsequent China tour matches, according to an insider linked to GHY Culture & Media. The organizers, however, claimed during a live broadcast on the team's arrival at Shenzheng Airport that Ronaldo would participate in all the matches of the Al-Nassr China tour despite some physical conditions, and said it was not uncommon for a professional athlete to experience some pain during regular training. It was not until Tuesday night, just one day before the match against Shanghai Shenhua, that the organizers announced that Ronaldo had suffered a muscle injury which ruled him out, and led to Al Nassr postponing the tour. The insider believed the organizers concealed the information because they were worried about ticket sales. "The schedule of Al-Nassr's China tour was finalized last year, and the promotion surrounding Ronaldo was also released early. But if the organizer publicly said that Ronaldo could not play before the game, who would buy tickets?" The Portuguese star was also unhappy with the banquet he attended on Monday, which became a trending topic on Weibo with the hashtag "Cristiano Ronaldo toasted." The organizers sold a large number of seats of this event to buyers mainly being Internet celebrities. Many of them profited through ways such as live streaming with the presence of Ronaldo, who was bothered with demands for autographs and photos, and live streaming throughout the entire dinner.

https://www.shine.cn/sport/2401252421/