In a thrilling and nail-biting match, accredited Jordanian refereeing expert Ahmed Abu Khadija settled the controversy surrounding the penalty awarded to Al-Ittihad against Al-Fateh in the 19th round of the Saudi Professional League. In an exclusive statement to Al-Midan Al-Riyadi, Abu Khadija confirmed that the referee's decision was correct, pointing to a clear foul by an Al-Fateh player that warranted the penalty.
The general context of the match and competition in the Roshan League
This match comes at a time when the Saudi Professional League is experiencing unprecedented media and fan interest, with clubs attracting top international stars, raising the level of competition and scrutiny of every refereeing decision. Al-Ittihad, the defending champions, enter each match under immense pressure to maintain their position at the top of the standings and compete strongly for the title again, while Al-Fateh, known for their ability to upset the big teams, seeks positive results to improve their position in the standings and move away from the relegation zone.
Details of the match and the impact of the result
The match, held at Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi Sports City Stadium in Al-Ahsa, ended in a 2-2 draw. Moroccan star Abderrazak Hamdallah opened the scoring for Al-Ittihad in the 25th minute, before his compatriot Mourad Batna equalized for Al-Fateh from the penalty spot in the 74th minute. Hamdallah then put Al-Ittihad back in front with another controversial penalty in the 84th minute, but Al-Fateh snatched a valuable point in stoppage time with a goal from Argentinian Lucas Zelarayán in the 90+9th minute.
The importance and impact of arbitration cases
Refereeing decisions, especially penalty kicks, are pivotal in determining match results and thus directly impact the course of the championship and team standings. Even with the introduction of Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology, controversy persists regarding certain situations requiring interpretation from refereeing experts. This underscores the importance of statements from figures like Ahmed Abu Khadija to resolve the debate among fans and the media. With this result, Al-Ittihad increased their points tally to 31, distancing themselves further from the top of the table, while Al-Fateh reached 22 points, strengthening their position in the middle of the standings.
