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In the wake of the Al Ahly crisis, Cristiano Ronaldo is accused of match-fixing and cheating

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The scrutiny of Saudi arbitration is weighing heavily on Cristiano.

Controversy surrounding Al-Ahli Jeddah’s clash with Al-Fayha continues to reverberate through the Saudi football scene, after two disputed penalty claims went unpunished.

The 1-1 draw in the 29th round of the Roshen Professional League left Al-Ahli on 66 points, edging them closer to conceding the title race.

Read also... A huge surprise... Ivan Toney faces a one-year ban!

The controversy has ignited a wider debate in the Saudi football community, given the result’s potential to sway the title race as Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal duel in the decisive final rounds.


  • A serious crisis

    Controversy flared in Al-Ahli Jeddah’s match against Al-Fayha after the referee, despite reviewing the incident via VAR, declined to award Al-Ahli two penalties—one in the dying moments.

    Refereeing experts and analysts have since concluded that Al-Ahli should have been awarded at least one penalty, leaving the decision open to scrutiny across football circles.

    Al-Ahly’s management responded with an official statement condemning the officiating.

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  • Criticism of the refereeing

    Controversy raged on as Al Ahli striker Ivan Toney accused the referee of favouring Al Nassr after the match.

    Tony said: “The referee asked us to forget about the league and focus on the AFC Champions League. Is that reasonable? I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

    Yasser added that the match had been “stolen” from Al-Ahly and that the referee had instructed them to forget about the league.

    He added that decisions which had been given consistently throughout the season suddenly vanished at a crucial stage, favouring the opposition.

    He added that he hoped the Saudi Arabian Football Federation’s Referees’ Committee would review the recordings of their conversations to verify his claims.

    Al-Ahli’s German coach, Matthias Jaissle, echoed these claims, stating that the referee had indeed urged the players to forget about the league and focus on the Asian Champions League instead. His remarks further fueled the controversy surrounding the match.

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    Allegations against Ronaldo

    British newspaper The Daily Mail reported on Thursday evening that Cristiano Ronaldo is at the centre of allegations of manipulation and cheating to secure the Roshen Professional League title.

    The report added that the Al-Ahli match sparked controversy, and Ivan Toney’s comments have since raised the temperature.

    Yesterday’s developments have sparked serious accusations that Ronaldo and his teammates may have rigged matches to clinch the Saudi Pro League crown.

    Al-Nassr currently lead the Roshen League with 70 points, two clear of Al-Hilal and four ahead of Al-Ahli, before their Saturday clash with Al-Akhdoud.

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