The Saudi Arabian league has been engulfed in fierce officiating controversy surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo's bid for his first major trophy.
Al Nassr defeated Al Ahli 2-0 on the 30th (Korean time) at Al Awal Park in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in a Saudi Pro League match. Led by Ronaldo, Al Nassr reached 79 points with this victory and raced ahead in sole first place. With four league matches remaining, the possibility of winning the title grew even larger.
The problem erupted after the match. Al Ahli defender Merih Demiral publicly attacked the referee's decisions. Demiral did not hide his strong dissatisfaction in front of reporters. He said, "The referee's decisions are crazy. Look at my leg. The decisions always go in favor of Al Nassr."
His remarks did not stop there. Demiral claimed, "Every season they push Al Nassr to win. Honestly, it's unbelievable." He added, "I am proud to belong to Al Ahli. We are fighting for the title without help."
There is a reason it's hard to view this as just a loser's complaint. This is not the first officiating controversy surrounding Al Nassr. Earlier this month, similar complaints arose in a rival team's match. After a 1-1 draw between Al Ahli and Al-Fayha, Ivan Toney strongly questioned the referee's decisions.
Toney said at the time, "The biggest issues were the two penalty situations. They were as clear as day. The opposing player picked up the ball with both hands, and if they don't award a penalty, I don't know what more you could ask for," he fumed.
The more shocking part was the referee's reaction. Toney alleged, "When we spoke to the referee he told us to focus on the AFC Champions League." He raised his voice, "We're talking about the match right now; how can a referee say that?"
Team-mate Galeno was more direct. On social media he wrote, "Just hand over the trophy. That's what they want." He went on to claim, "They will stop at nothing to push us out of contention. They want to dedicate the trophy to a single person." The "single person" mentioned here was interpreted as targeting Ronaldo.
Al Ahli club also officially expressed its dissatisfaction. The club protested the decision in the Al-Fayha match, saying, "The referee's error directly affected the flow and final result of the match and also influenced the title race standings."
This season is important for Ronaldo as well. Since moving to Al Nassr he has not yet lifted a major trophy. Compared with Lionel Messi adding trophies on the U.S. stage, Ronaldo's trophy drought in Saudi Arabia has been the subject of ongoing mockery.
Ironically, ahead of this season Ronaldo had expressed complaints that the league favored Al Hilal. After Al Nassr surged to the front of the title race, suspicion of the opposite — that Al Nassr was being 'pushed' — began to spread.
Of course, the officiating controversy is still at the allegation stage. It cannot be concluded that there was league-level intervention. But the fact that players from rival teams have repeatedly voiced public complaints cannot be easily dismissed.
Al Nassr is drawing closer to the title. But as the title race heats up, so does the controversy. Whether Ronaldo's first Saudi major trophy will be an emotional moment or a title overshadowed by officiating suspicions will be decided in the remaining four matches.<
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