Portuguese coach Sergio Conceição, manager of Al-Ittihad, expressed his strong dissatisfaction with the refereeing decisions during his team's match against Al-Nassr, which took place at Al-Awwal Park Stadium as part of the 21st round of the Saudi Professional League. In his remarks during the post-match press conference, Conceição asserted that the refereeing team's performance had a direct and decisive impact on the final result of the match, which ended in his team's defeat.
Conceição said: “We competed fiercely against Al-Nassr and played a balanced match; we were a strong opponent, but the referee’s decisions changed everything.” The Portuguese coach added, explaining the controversial incidents from his perspective: “The match was proceeding fairly, then came the Simakan incident, which clearly warranted a penalty that wasn’t awarded, and then the Angelo incident. There are always small details that affect big matches, and today they were clearly against us.”.
The context of the match and its importance in the Saudi League
This match comes amidst fierce competition in the Saudi Professional League, which has captured global attention. Al-Nassr, led by their star Cristiano Ronaldo, are striving to catch Al-Hilal at the top of the standings, making every point crucial. On the other hand, Al-Ittihad, the defending champions, are experiencing a difficult season marked by inconsistent results and managerial changes. Coach Conceição is working to get the team back on track and compete for a top spot that would qualify them for Asian competitions. Matches between the two teams, known as the "Saudi Clasico," carry immense historical and popular significance, placing additional pressure on the players, coaching staff, and referees.
The expected impact of Conceição's statements
Conceição's strong statements are expected to spark widespread controversy in Saudi sporting circles and reopen the debate surrounding refereeing errors and their impact on the league competition. These statements may put pressure on the Saudi Arabian Football Federation's referees committee to review referee performances in major matches, especially with the introduction of Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology, which is supposed to reduce such controversial errors. They also reflect the frustration felt by Al-Ittihad and its coaching staff regarding recent results.
In a related context, Conceição explained that the substitution of Muhannad Al-Shanqiti at halftime was at the player's own request. He concluded his remarks on a forward-looking note, emphasizing the need to move past this loss and focus on the future: “We will continue to work hard to improve in the coming period. The team will work on correcting mistakes and improving results in domestic and continental competitions.”.
