Whistle in the Spotlight: Controversy Clouds Al Ahli's 4-1 Victory Over Al Khaleej

Did the benevolent referee help them win?

Disputed officiating sparks coach's critique

Greek Giorgos Donis, head coach of Al-Khaleej, voiced strong anger after the 1-4 defeat to Al-Ahli Jeddah in the 17th round of the Roshen Saudi Pro League on Tuesday night.

The match featured a heated moment when Englishman Ivan Tony clashed with Greek Dimitrios Kourbelis early in the second half.

The referee issued only a yellow card to Ivan Tony for that challenge, and Video Assistant Referee did not intervene to impose a harsher punishment on the attacker.

Donis told the press afterward, "I think the referee helped Al-Ahli, because Ivan Tony deserved to be sent off, but he only got a yellow."

He added: "The referee didn't send him off despite the clear angle, and I believe his departure could have changed the result, since he was on track to possibly score a hat-trick."

The coach also expressed frustration with resources, saying, "We are a small club and we lack the financial ability to recruit players as we'd like, and that is one of the reasons we struggle."

Furthermore, he noted, "In the last King’s Cup match we played with only four foreign players, showing how we sometimes suffer like teams in our situation."

He concluded: "We made many mistakes against Al Ahli, and I told the players that failing against big teams would cost us a lot, and that is what happened."

PUNCHLINE 1: If refereeing were a premium product, this match would come with a buy-one-get-one-free whistle policy and a complimentary red card—very generous for some, very selective for others.

PUNCHLINE 2: In football, the only thing sharper than a whistle is a manager’s post-match analysis—hat-trick of opinions, and the crowd still wants more jokes.