Fans Dissatisfied with Team Boycott Matches; Large Sections of Empty Seats at Al Nassr’s Home Stadium

In the first round of the 2024-25 Saudi Professional League season, despite the presence of superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, the match between Al Nassr and Al Batin at Al Nassr’s home stadium suffered from low attendance. Only 8,000 fans showed up to support the team, resulting in numerous empty seats within the stadium.

Reports indicate that this phenomenon is due to fans’ dissatisfaction with the team’s recent performance, particularly after a crushing defeat by Al Hilal in the Saudi Super Cup, which did not meet expectations. Fans are using this method to express their protest, believing that aside from Ronaldo, other players have not demonstrated the required level of competitive performance.

Although Ronaldo performed excellently on the field and became the league’s top scorer last season, even setting a new record for most goals in a single season, the team has started the new season poorly, and Ronaldo’s popularity has failed to stop the fans’ protest activities. The team’s losses in important matches have disappointed fans, and the changes in management and internal turmoil have further intensified these sentiments.

The position of head coach Castro is currently precarious, and he may be dismissed at any time.

Unless the team can quickly improve its competitive form, fans have indicated they might continue to boycott attending matches. Even with Ronaldo’s strong personal appeal, if the overall performance of the team does not improve, it will be difficult to reignite the passion of the fans.