Al-Hilal's fans are fearing the worst after learning the identity of the referee for their eagerly awaited clash with Al-Fayha in the Saudi Roshn League.
Al-Hilal travel to face Al-Fayha today, Thursday, at the Al-Majmaah Sports City Stadium, in the opening fixture of the second round of the Roshn League.
Saudi newspaper "Arriyadiyah" reports that Dutch referee Danny Makkelie will take charge, assisted by his compatriots Hessel Steegstra and Jan de Vries, with Croatia's Ivan Bebek on VAR and Saudi official Mohammed Abu Shukara as fourth official.
It marks the ninth Al-Hilal match the Dutch referee has overseen across all competitions, having taken charge of eight of their games in four different tournaments between 2018 and 2025.
Across those eight matches, Al-Hilal won just four times, a success rate of 50%. They drew twice and lost on the same number of occasions.
The first defeat was a shattering one. In the semi-final of the 2019 Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup, Al-Hilal crashed to a five-goal thrashing by Al-Taawoun, a heavyweight shock.
Their second loss came in the last match Makkelie officiated for "the Boss", a 2-1 defeat to Brazil's Fluminense that dumped them out of the FIFA Club World Cup at the quarter-final stage.
Makkelie has better memories too. He watched Al-Hilal lift the 2022 Saudi Super Cup after they beat Al-Faisaly on penalties in the final.
So far this season, the Dutchman has officiated just a single match, between Utrecht and AZ Alkmaar in the second round of the Dutch league.
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