Did Ivan Toni Deserve a Red Card in the Jeddah Derby? A Close Look
7 March 2026
What happened in the Jeddah derby
Ivan Toni, the English forward for Al Ahli, opened the scoring as Al Ahli beat Al Ittihad 3-1 at the Al Enmaa Stadium in Jeddah, in round 25 of the Roshen Saudi Pro League. The goal came in the 23rd minute when Brazilian winger Galeno delivered a low cross from the left and Toni redirected it into the net, then celebrated in front of the Al Ittihad supporters.
An officiating consultant, Abdullah Al-Qahtani, said Toni should have received a yellow card in that moment, with the possibility of a red card if the celebration was interpreted as taunting.
Al-Qahtani noted that there are rules governing goal celebrations, such as not climbing barriers and not provoking the rival fans.
He explained: if provocation is the sole factor, a yellow is given for unsporting behavior; if it is accompanied by insulting acts or gestures, a red is mandatory.
He added that he is against players approaching the rival fans, especially given that Ahli’s supporters occupy a large portion of the stadium, leaving little risk of provocation from the other side.
“In my view, this celebration qualifies as taunting and warrants a caution, unless a different interpretation emerges,” he said.
The match itself ended with Al Ahli winning 3-1 against Al Ittihad at Al Enmaa Stadium in Jeddah.
Image credit: Getty Images
Punchline: If celebrations counted as cards, Toni would be the most-carded man in town—talk about a festival of cautions.
Punchline 2: In football, sometimes the loudest cheers come from the referee’s whistle; tonight it was Toni’s moment that got loudest as the scoreboard did the talking.
