An arbitration expert has cleared Al-Ahli Jeddah striker Ivan Tony of lying about his exchange with the fourth official during his side’s Saudi Roshen League match against Al-Fayha.
The match, played on Wednesday at Al-Majma’ah Sports City Stadium in Round 29 of the Roshen League, ended 1-1.
After the match, Al-Ahli striker Ivan Toney claimed that the fourth official had told him to focus solely on the AFC Champions League rather than the Roshen League, a version supported by his German coach, Matthias Jaissle.
However, the Main Referees’ Committee reviewed the match officials’ audio recordings and found no evidence to support those claims, effectively clearing the fourth official of any wrongdoing.
Refereeing expert Nawaf Shukrallah told Saudi sports channels that the striker might not have been lying, explaining that the communication system—in which all officials wear headsets linked to a recording device—could have missed the alleged remark.
He explained that every member of the refereeing team, including the fourth official, wears a headset for constant communication, and that every utterance is captured from kickoff to the final whistle.
The referee and the two assistant referees cannot switch off their headsets; they must stay on throughout the match to maintain constant communication.
The fourth official, however, wears a headset he can switch off at any time, since he is constantly communicating with the technical staff and players, which could otherwise create interference for the referee.
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According to the refereeing expert, the fourth official may have switched off his microphone while speaking to Al Ahly’s players—most notably English striker Ivan Toney—which explains why the exchange is absent from the audio recordings.
The match featured several controversial decisions, prompting Al-Ahly to issue a scathing statement criticising the referee and demanding to hear what was said between him and the VAR official during those incidents.
The draw has complicated Al-Ahli’s title hopes in the Roshen League, as they now trail leaders Al-Nassr—who have played one game fewer—by four points and are two points behind second-placed Al-Hilal.