The coaching staff of Al-Hilal Saudi Club, led by Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus, faces a potential dilemma that could disrupt their plans in the upcoming rounds of the Saudi Professional League. Portuguese star Ruben Neves , the midfield maestro, is at risk of missing not only the next match but also the anticipated encounter against Al-Qadisiyah, should the Disciplinary and Ethics Committee decide to intervene and activate clauses related to the integrity of the competition.
Details of the crisis and the controversial card
The story began when Neves received a yellow card during his team's resounding 4-1 victory over Al-Fayha in the seventeenth round. This was his fourth yellow card, meaning he would automatically miss Al-Hilal's upcoming match against Al-Riyadh in the eighteenth round. However, the timing and manner of the card sparked considerable legal debate regarding whether the player deliberately sought the caution to clear his record before the crucial matches, a tactic known in sports as circumventing the rules.
Legal opinion: Article 83 and the principle of integrity
In this context, legal expert Ayman Al-Rifai, former head of the Disciplinary Committee of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, made a startling revelation. In televised remarks, he explained that while Saudi regulations lack an explicit and direct provision penalizing the deliberate acquisition of cards, unlike the regulations of FIFA and UEFA, they do possess other mechanisms for intervention. Al-Rifai pointed out that Article 83 of the Disciplinary Regulations, pertaining to principles of integrity, grants the committee the authority to penalize any conduct that unlawfully affects the course of competition.
Al-Rifai stressed that proving the player deliberately obtained the card warrants an additional penalty that could reach a suspension of one or two matches, which means that Neves’ absence may extend to include the difficult Al-Qadisiyah match scheduled for next Thursday at Prince Mohammed bin Fahd Stadium in Dammam.
The impact of Neves' absence on Al-Hilal's system
Ruben Neves is the cornerstone of Al-Hilal's attacking play and the link between defense and offense. This potential absence comes at a crucial time in the season, as Al-Hilal seeks to maintain its lead and continue its historic winning streak. The absence of a player of Neves' caliber against Al-Qadisiyah, a team considered to be developing and possessing talented players, could put Al-Hilal's midfield under considerable pressure, especially since the match is being played away from home in front of a large and vocal crowd in the Eastern Province.
Global and local context
These calls for strict enforcement of regulations come as the Saudi Arabian Football Federation seeks to raise the level of professionalism in the league and emulate the top five leagues, where cases of circumvention are dealt with firmly to clean up disciplinary records. All eyes remain on the Disciplinary Committee's decision: will it be satisfied with the automatic suspension of the Al-Riyadh match, or will it intervene to impose a disciplinary penalty that would jeopardize Neves' participation against Al-Qadisiyah?
