Red Cards and Cup Chaos: Diaby, Jahni Suspended as Dosri Scrapes By

Two high-stakes decisions shake the Saudi King’s Cup landscape as two players see red and a top scorer dodges a ban. Moussa Diaby of Al-Ittihad and Ziad Al-Jahni of Al-Ahli were hit with two-match suspensions following red cards in different incidents. Meanwhile, Nasser Al-Dosri of Al-Hilal escaped a longer ban with a single-match suspension for his own dismissal, sparking debate about consistency and discipline in Saudi football.

What happened and why

Diaby’s ban followed a second-half red card after a review of a tangle with Riyadh’s players, despite him having assisted Karim Benzema for the opener in a 2-1 win that already put his team in a strong position. Benzema himself had opened the scoring in the 24th minute with a header after a pinpoint cross from Diaby.

Under the disciplinary committee’s ruling, the two-match suspension is automatic for direct red cards and extends across all official matches in which the player participates. This means Diaby will miss one league game and the next domestic cup match with Al-Ittihad facing the Cup run in the near term.

Diaby’s case marks a second red card for him with the club in under 18 months, following a dismissal in May’s win over Al-Nassr, and it pushes his red-card total higher than his entire career prior to joining Al-Ittihad.

Before joining the Saudi club, Diaby had a single red card in his career, recorded during a Bundesliga game for Leverkusen in December 2021. The current red-card spree has raised concerns about discipline across Al-Ittihad, which already sits among the league’s leaders in red cards this season.

Similarly, Al-Jahni, who was sent off late in the first half for an incident with Al-Qadisiyah’s Ottavio, will serve a two-match ban under the same rules. He will miss the next league game and the first domestic Cup tie when Al-Ahli hosts Al-Qadisiyah in the King’s Cup quarterfinals, a crucial fixture in a busy spell.

That particular ban is part of a tally for the competition as Saudi football continues to set discipline standards. The current season has seen a high number of red cards, with the league-wide total rising toward double digits, and Jahni becoming the first player to receive two red cards in the competition this season.

Meanwhile, Al-Hilal’s Nasser Al-Dosri was suspended for one match after his red card against Al-Fateh in the ninth round of the league. The decision also carried a fine of 10,000 riyals, and the ban applies only to the Saudi Pro League, since the incident did not involve misconduct in international competition.

As the Cup quarterfinals approach, teams will look to manage squad depth and avoid further suspensions, lest the red cards turn this Cup into a crimson comedy rather than a showcase of skill.

Punchline 1: If red cards were a currency, Diaby and Jahni would be billionaires by now.

Punchline 2: In Saudi football, the only thing more dramatic than a goal is a stoppage-time card—call it the crimson clock of the King’s Cup.