November 23 Al Hilal - Al Nassr A. Cunha (URU), A. Berisso (URU), S. Fernandez (URU), M. Al Shamrani (KSA) This is the fifth matchday. All matches in the first four matchdays, as well as all other matches in the fifth matchday, have had Saudi crews.
Refereeing highlights of the biggest derby in KSA played on Monday. https://we.tl/t-o5AXKo8rlP Al Hilal - Al Nassr Andrés Cunha - Agustín Berisso, Santiago Fernández - Majid Al-Shamrani - [Zbigniew Dobrynin, Fahad Al-Omari] (URU - POL) Key Match Incidents: 08' - Reckless vs. SFP? No sanction 56' - Penalty to Al-Hilal after OFR + yellow card 66' - Goal for Al-Nassr disallowed (offside) after VAR intervention
The King's Cup referee list reads almost like at a World Cup in terms of nationalities: R16: Soares Dias (POR) Gassama (GAM) Hategan (ROU) Nijhuis (NED) Pajac (CRO) Bognar (HUN) Bebek (CRO) Kassai (HUN) QF: Madden (SCO) Kulbakov (BLR) Treimanis (LVA) Bebek (CRO) SF: Aquino (PAR) Rojas (COL) Final: Marciniak (POL)
Wow, full time referees get paid $22,400 outside of game fees...Also, what is with the horror music in the video?
Daniele Orsato [VAR: Irrati] handled the big derby SuperCup between Al Hilal and Al Nassr very well, besides a terrible penalty decision (AR's shout?) quickly overturned by VAR. Some clips: 18' - Phantom penalty (handling) overturned after OFR https://streamable.com/m95io0 62' - Goal given (over the line) after VAR intervention(?) https://streamable.com/1to3n7 82' - Goal correctly allowed (potential handling)? https://streamable.com/4rrj8f BONUS - brilliant caution for dissent / simulation (injury) to Al Nassr player Petros, what a pleasing moment for any regular Saudi viewer to see this player finally booked for his ridiculous antics in every game! https://streamable.com/q5z956
Two foreign appointments as requested by clubs this season so far. Al Hilal - Abha, 4/Feb REF: Ilgiz Tantaşev (UZB) AR1: Timur Gaynulin (UZB) AR2: Andrey Tsapenko (UZB) 4th: Muhammad As-Suma'ail (KSA) VARs: Aziz Asimov, Fahad Al-Umari (UZB, KSA) Al Hilal - Al Ettifaq, 18/Feb (today) Referee: Maguette N'Diaye (SEN) Assistant Referee 1: Djibril Camara (SEN) Assistant Referee 2: El Hadji Malick Samba (SEN) Fourth Official: Turki Al-Khudair (KSA) Video Assistant Referee: Nicolás Gallo (COL) Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Fahad Alumri (KSA)
I also saw: Al Fateh- Al Taawon, 14/Jan Referee: SCHAERER (SUI) Assistant Referee 1: ZOGAJ (SEN) Assistant Referee 2: ERNI (SEN) Fourth Official: Ahmad Al Rumaikhani (KSA)
Hategan was in action in the previous round with his usual assistants. He was the only foreign referee in that round.
And Esteban Ostojich with his Club WC ARs (VAR: Nicolás Gallo) handled the big Al Nassr - Al Hilal derby a few weeks ago. His performance was quite weak, to be honest. Hațegan's VAR was his compatriot, István Kovács. An important note - unlike his game on Thursday in EL, Octavian Şovre, was AR1 in KSA.
Looks like Moroccan referee Redouane JIYED has the center for today's Al Ittihad vs Al Hilal match, which is 1st place vs 3rd place.
Indeed - Moroccan team replaced one led by Venezuelan Alexis Herrera for some reason (Visa, COVID?). Referee: Rédouane Jiyed (MAR) AR1: Lahcen Azgaou (MAR) AR2: Moustapha Akarkad (MAR) F/O: Mamdouh Ash-Shahdan (KSA) VAR: Adil Zourak (MAR) AVAR: Khalaf Ash-Shammari (KSA)
It seems the error was mine Herrera had a game today, Zourak was VAR again. Al-Batin - Al-Shabab Referee: Alexis Herrera (VEN) AR1: Tulio Moreno (VEN) AR2: Jorge Urrego (VEN) F/O: Sultan Al-Harbi (KSA) VAR: Adil Zourak (MAR) AVAR: Ibrahim Ad-Duhail (KSA)
Today's game: Al-Qadsiah- Al-Faisaly Referee: JAYED (MAR) AR1: AZGAOU (MAR) AR2: AKRAKAD (MAR) F/O: AL ESMAIEL (KSA)
Redouane Jiyed - Lahcen Azgaou, Moustapha Akarkad - Muhammad As-Suma'ail ['Adil Zourak, Ibrahim Ad-Duhail]
Tomorrow there is a verrry big game in the Saudi title race between Al-Shabab and Al-Hilal, excited to see who will officiate the match. Theoretically of course, it could be a Saudi! I'd expect a top South American but let's see. Szymon Marciniak has the 19/May game between Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli, to add.
István Kovács, selected for UEFA EURO 2020, will handle the game I mentioned tomorrow. Mustapha Ghorbal from Algeria will handle the Al-Hilal - Al-Batin game next Friday.
István Kovács - Vasile Florin Marinescu, Ovidiu Artene - Abdalla Al-Shahri [Kevin Blom, Faisal Al-Qahtani] Romanian ref had a good game overall - you can find some clips here. Blom correctly intervened for a handling penalty (Kovács ought to have seen it himself tbh), but most momentously star player Éver Banega was ejected, SYC - for dissent! Banega's sending off cost Al-Shabab the game (1-1 to 1-5 final score) and probably will have decided the Saudi title race for this season. Fair play to Kovács for having the courage to take the right decision and not turn a blind eye; I hope he would do the same with eg. Ronaldo at the EURO.
At Marciniak's side were (his regular) ARs Tomasz Listkiewicz and Paweł Sokolnicki. Compatriot Tomasz Musiał was VAR. Big Decisions: 38' - Penalty to Al-Hilal (handling) + RC (DOGSO); vid 01:37:50 64' - Penalty to Al-Hial (tripping) + YC (SPA/DOGSO?); vid 02:23:00 Nice to see spectators back in the stadium even in Saudi Arabia; normalcy! With this win Al-Hilal look neigh on certain to take the championship and our exciting title race was scuppered by Éver Banega's idiocracy in the aforementioned Kovács-officiated decider.
The title deciding Al-Hilal vs. Al-Taawoun match was handled by the promising 1988-born local ref Faisal Al-Balawi. Al-Faisaly vs. Al-Shabab was led by officials from Africa. Referee: Jean Jacques Ndala Ngambo (DRC) AR1: Olivier Safari Kabene (DRC) AR2: Abdullah Muhammad Ibrahim (SUD) F/O: Muhammad As-Suma'ail (KSA) VAR: Bamlak Tessema Weyesa (ETH) AVAR: Fahd Al-'Umari (KSA)
We have not talked about the Saudi league for ages, but apparently they are flying in foreign referees again. This weekend alone, Cunha, Kabakov, Treimanis, and Roldan were all there, while last weekend saw Conger and Sidiropoulos in the kingdom. Notably, Karasev was there earlier this month for the Al Nassr v Al Hilal clash, though this must have been planned ahead of the invasion and not necessarily reflective of the Saudi invitation policy going forward. Dankert and Chile's Maza also there this month.