Conceicao fuels conspiracy buzz in Saudi Clasico as Mane sinks Al-Nassr; handball row sparks debate

Clasico drama and coaching conjectures

Portuguese coach Sergio Conceicao, head coach of Al-Ittihad, backed a scenario in which his side were unfairly treated during the clash with Al-Nassr in the Clasico.

The match, played Friday night as part of round 21 of the Roshen Saudi Pro League, ended with the World on home soil winning by two goals to nil.

Danilo Pereira, Al-Ittihad’s star, hinted at deliberate bias to help Al-Nassr win in the Clasico.

On his Instagram story, Pereira wrote: "Some things seem scripted... this is unbelievable!"

Conceicao subsequently shared Pereira's post on his own Instagram account.

Pereira’s comments came after Conceicao and other Al-Ittihad players protested a refereeing decision to not award a penalty, after the ball touched Angelo Gabriel's hand during the match.

Additionally, Al-Ittihad players pressed for two penalties after the ball struck the hands of Sultan Al-Ghannam and Mohammed Siemakan; the referee consulted VAR on the defender's handball but let play resume.

The referee later awarded a penalty to Al-Nassr, which Senegalese star Sadio Mane converted to open the scoring.

With the win, Al-Nassr rose to 49 points, returning to second place in the Roshen Pro League and trimming the gap to leaders Al-Hilal to one point (50).

The goalscorers were Mane in the 84th minute and Angelo Gabriel in stoppage time (90+6).

Note: If conspiracies had a league, they'd be undefeated—until the final whistle. And if the whistle could wink, this match would come with a sequel.