Khaled Al-Malik, vice president of Al-Nassr FC, raised the issue of refereeing errors once again following his team's hard-fought and thrilling 2-1 victory over Damac FC on Wednesday evening in the 17th round of the Saudi Professional League. Al-Malik's comments highlighted what he described as the team's recent struggles due to impactful decisions.
Explicit criticism of video technology
In a comment on his official account on the "X" platform (formerly Twitter), the owner congratulated Al-Nassr fans on securing the three points, but he didn't overlook the refereeing, saying: "Praise be to God, congratulations to everyone on the three points... Two very clear penalties were not awarded; everyone saw them except the VAR room." The Al-Nassr vice president indicated that these incidents were not isolated events, but rather "a continuation of the refereeing errors we have been suffering from recently, which have directly affected the team's results in previous matches.".
A call for review and course correction
Despite his tone of reproach, the owner maintained a language of trust in the officials, calling for intervention to rectify the situation and ensure fair competition. He added, "We hope there will be a review and follow-up from the committee and a correction of the errors... We are talking about clear errors, not controversial cases, and everyone has acknowledged their existence." He emphasized that his statement came from a position of strength, thus negating any justification, stressing, "We reaffirm our confidence in the officials and acknowledge that mistakes happen, but we hope they will be avoided in the future.".
The context of the fierce competition in the Roshan League
These statements come at a time when the Saudi league is witnessing fierce and unprecedented competition, where teams vying for the title, particularly Al-Nassr, cannot afford to drop any points, whether due to a decline in performance or refereeing decisions. Al-Nassr faces immense pressure to catch up with league leaders Al-Hilal, as every refereeing error significantly impacts the team's chances in the title race, especially given the massive investments and international signings that have raised expectations and made the league a focus of global attention.
The importance of winning and the role of the fans
The owner concluded his remarks by extending a special thank you to the fans who supported the team in Abha, saying, "Finally, thank you to our dear fans in the south. You were a turning point today. A salute of appreciation to you." Al-Nassr currently sits in second place with 37 points, temporarily narrowing the gap with league leaders Al-Hilal to four points, making the competition fierce as the first half of the season draws to a close.
