A refereeing decision in the clash between Al-Hilal and Al-Hazm, in the tenth round of the Saudi Roshn Pro League, has sparked fresh controversy. Former international referee Saad Al-Kathiri confirmed that Al-Hilal were owed a penalty the referee failed to award, in a match "the Boss" settled with a goal without reply in the final minutes.
Al-Kathiri, the refereeing analyst for "Al-Jazira" newspaper, said the referee erred by not awarding a penalty in Al-Hilal's favour in the 17th minute. English winger Crysencio Summerville was impeded inside the penalty area by one of Al-Hazm's defenders, and in his view the situation warranted a foul for the blue side.
Waving play on was the wrong call, the refereeing expert explained. The Al-Hazm defender impeded Summerville inside the box, which demanded a penalty for Al-Hilal as they looked to open the scoring early.
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His assessment did not stop at the on-field decision. Al-Kathiri also criticised the lack of intervention from the video assistant referee, stressing that the VAR should have called the referee over to review the incident on the screen, reassess the situation and take the appropriate decision on the penalty.
That observation added a refereeing row to a contest that saw the hosts fashion numerous chances before Gabriel Martinelli struck the winner in the 89th minute. The goal handed Al-Hilal three important points and lifted their tally to 24 in the race for the top of the Roshn League.