Cristiano Ronaldo's Saudi Arabian debut was thrown into more disarray tonight when the ground of his new club was cordoned off amid suggestions that the match had been canceled.

Hundreds of employees, including security, cooks, and stadium personnel, were kept outside while the gates were sealed.

The stadium was empty, according to officials, with the game scheduled to begin in two hours.

Chefs in white uniforms and several hundred security officers in black stood outside the barred gates.

Supporters dressed in the club's yellow and blue stood outside, perplexed as to why no formal statement had been made.

The players' access was sealed and unattended at gate nine.

Both police officers and security officials told MailOnline they had been told the match was off.

Any cancellation is likely to add to the embarrassment of the club, which is splashed out upwards of £400 million to secure Ronaldo’s services for the next two and a half years.

His debut tonight had already been vetoed by FIFA following the football associations ban on him for two matches, which has yet to serve, while he was a Manchester United player.

But the club, which has not revealed whether it was to adhere to the ban, had yet to confirm whether the match would go ahead with or without its superstar with no official announcement.

A senior police officer told MailOnline that the game has been ‘100%’ cancelled and will take place on Friday evening.