Saudi Arabian football officials are losing patience with Cristiano Ronaldo as he considers extending his strike.
Ronaldo's protest is harming the image of the Saudi Pro League and the Kingdom's sovereign wealth fund. The SPL is trying to make sure he plays on Friday by warning him publicly.
Ronaldo wants to continue his one-man protest by missing a second game even though he is fully fit and training with his team-mates.
He still feels his club Al Nassr are not being backed financially as much as their title rivals Al Hilal.
Both clubs are majority owned by The Public Investment Fund (PIF), Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund.
The forward is convinced Al Hilal are getting preferential treatment and he was particularly angry that they strengthened their squad by bringing in players such as Karim Benzema during the January window.
Benzema scored a hat-trick on his debut on Thursday as Al Hilal beat Al Akhdoud 6-0 to stretch their lead over third-placed Al Nassr to four points in the SPL.
Ronaldo was expected to feature against Al Ittihad on Friday, having posted a picture of himself in training on X on Wednesday.
Officials are hoping he has made his point and Friday's game will be too big for him to miss, and have urged him to return to the pitch.
"Fans in Saudi and around the world want to see Cristiano back playing and competing as soon as possible. The support he has had since he arrived in the Kingdom remains and everything is still to play for," a senior official said.
The officials are surprised that he is unhappy - despite earning a reported £500,000 a day - and want him to play on Friday.
He has 18 months left on his contract but it does have a £43m (€50m) summer release clause - even though he turned 41 on Thursday.
Al Nassr could go top of the Saudi Pro League on Friday.
Ronaldo was missing from his team's Saudi Pro League win over Al Riyadh on Monday - and Sky Sports News has been told the star is unhappy about the running of the club.
He believes Al Nassr are not receiving the same financial support as the three other clubs owned by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund PIF - Al Hilal, Al Ahli and Al Ittihad.
Ronaldo is angry that Al Hilal have signed Benzema from Al Ittihad, while the only addition to the Al Nassr squad in the January window was a young Iraqi midfielder, Hayder Abdulkareem. He wanted his club to be more ambitious during the window because he wants to win the Saudi title for the first time.
Although he feels PIF are giving their other clubs preferential treatment, Saudi Arabian football has opened up and clubs are now being bought by investors.
Benzema's move to Al Hilal is not being funded by the league or PIF but by a private billionaire Saudi investor Prince Alwaleed bin Talal. There is nothing stopping Al Nassr from signing more players with the backing of private investors.
From a Saudi perspective, Ronaldo retains their full support and nothing has changed.
He has been involved in the club at every level with his own team and they have been across all the transfers and investment opportunities, which makes it surprising that he is so unhappy.
The SPL believes its league is a fair fight and there is still all to play for this season. The funding provided by the league is clear and fair across all PIF clubs.
If Al Nassr were not active in January, it was because they have already spent £100m this season.
The financial regulations and league funding through the Player Acquisition Center of Excellence are designed to maintain integrity, make sure the league and clubs are sustainable and competitive.
'No individual determines decisions outside their club' - SPL hits back at Ronaldo
While Ronaldo may be the face of the SPL, the league issued a statement on Thursday evening firing back at the Portuguese star by reaffirming that he has no say on what happens at clubs outside of his own.
"The Saudi Pro League is structured around a simple principle: every club operates independently under the same rules," a league spokesperson said.
"Clubs have their own boards, their own executives and their own football leadership. Decisions on recruitment, spending and strategy sit with those clubs, within a financial framework designed to ensure sustainability and competitive balance. That framework applies equally across the league.
"Cristiano has been fully engaged with Al Nassr since his arrival and has played an important role in the club's growth and ambition. Like any elite competitor, he wants to win. But no individual - however significant - determines decisions beyond their own club.
"Recent transfer activity demonstrates that independence clearly. One club strengthened in a particular way. Another chose a different approach. Those were club decisions, taken within approved financial parameters.
"The competitiveness of the league speaks for itself. With only a few points separating the top four, the title race is very much alive. That level of balance reflects a system that is working as intended.
"The focus remains on football - on the pitch, where it belongs - and on maintaining a credible, competitive competition for players and fans."