The Referees’ Committee of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation has settled the controversy surrounding the dispute between English player Ivan Toney and his German coach Matthias Jaissle with the referee of the Al-Ahli vs. Al-Fayha match, which ended 1–1 in the Roshen Professional League.
The row flared when the official refused to award Al-Ahli two penalties—one in the dying moments—despite consulting VAR.
Their frustration boiled over when, they claimed, the fourth official told Al-Ahli players to “forget the league and focus on Asia”.
Read the details... Tony: The standards changed at the decisive stages... and the referee told us to focus on Asia!
Read the details... Yaisle: The match was stolen from Al-Ahli... and the referee told us to forget the league!
According to Saudi daily Al-Riyadiah, the committee reviewed the match audio and found no evidence to support the claims.
It added that “the Referees’ Committee found no evidence against fourth official Abdulrahman Al-Sultan; the coach and player claims are completely unfounded”.
The draw left Al-Ahli on 66 points in third place, two points behind Al-Hilal and four adrift of Al-Nassr, effectively denting their title hopes.