Refereeing experts Gamal Al-Ghandour of Egypt and Oman's Ahmed Al-Kaf confirmed on the "Abu Dhabi Sports" channel that Saudi Arabia should have been awarded a clear penalty in their opening match against Kuwait at "Gulf 27". The Arabian Gulf Cup tie, played on Wednesday evening at Al-Inma Stadium in King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, ended 1-0 to the hosts.
Kuwaiti defender Youssef Al-Haqqan turned into his own net in the 73rd minute for the only goal.
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The controversy flared in the 28th minute. A Kuwait player raised his hand and the ball struck it during a challenge, but neither the on-field referee nor the video officials spotted it, with the ball appearing to have hit the head of a Saudi Arabia player.
Both experts judged the defender's hand to be away from his body and in an unnatural position, making it a clear penalty under the laws of the game.
Al-Kaf went easy on the on-field referee, Portugal's Joao Pinheiro, given how difficult the incident was to read. He pointed the finger instead at the video technology crew, who he felt should have alerted Pinheiro.
Victory took Saudi Arabia to 3 points and top of Group One. Iraq and Oman have one point apiece after a 1-1 draw in the group's other match, while Kuwait remain pointless.
Jeddah hosts "Gulf 27" from 23 September to 6 October 2026, with 8 national teams split into two groups.
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