When a Romanian Whistle Steals the Spotlight: Al-Nassr vs Al-Qadisiyah
8 January 2026
The Saudi Football Federation has appointed the match officials for Thursday’s Roshen Pro League Round 14 fixtures.
The marquee pairing is Al-Nasr vs Al-Qadisiyah, with other games including Al-Hilal vs Al-Hazm and Al-Nass vs Al-Ettifaq on the slate.
Officials for the Al-Nasr vs Al-Qadisiyah game
For the Al-Nasr–Al-Qadisiyah match at Al-Nasr Park, the crew is led by Romanian referee István Kovács, with Mihai Marica and Ferenc Tunyogi as assistants, and Mohammed Al-Sama’il as the fourth official. Video assistance will be provided by Catalin Bopa from Romania, with Saudi official Mohammed Wazi as VAR assistant.
Past meetings and a curious pattern
Kovács has previously overseen two Al-Nasr matches and four Al-Qadisiyah clashes, and neither side has clinched a victory in these meetings; all encounters ended 1-1.
One of the Nasr clashes came on 24 November 2019, when Nasr beat Al-Wehda 1-0, while another, on 24 October 2021, saw Al-Ettifaq go down 1-0 to Nasr.
For Al-Qadisiyah, his appearances tend to produce draws; every meeting with Kovács so far ended 1-1.
The 2012 clash between Al-Qadisiyah and Hajer also finished 1-1, followed by a February 2017 meeting with Al-Hilal that again ended in a 1-1 draw.
Last season, Al-Qadisiyah drew 1-1 with Al-Khaleej, and the current season’s latest clash against Damac also finished 1-1 with Kovács on the whistle.
Punchline time: If refereeing were cooking, Kovács would season with extra caution and still serve a perfect draw. And hey, in football, a 1-1 scoreline is basically a love letter to defense—two teams, one message: we’re not losing this game today, thanks.
