KUNA photo Sadio Mane celebrates after opening the scoring against Al-Ittihad.

RIYADH, Feb 7: The management of Al-Ittihad Club voiced strong criticism of the referee following its 2–0 loss to Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League (Roshen League) Round 21. The league also saw Neom defeat Al-Riyadh 1–0 and Al-Ittifaq overcome Damak 2–0.

Al-Ittihad highlighted several controversial decisions, particularly the failure to award two clear penalty kicks, with the first occurring in the 12th minute of the first half, provoking the ire of head coach Sérgio Conceição.

In an official statement posted on X (formerly Twitter), the club expressed frustration over the refereeing, noting that the critical errors directly impacted the game’s flow and outcome. The statement emphasized that one of the penalties was blatant, confirmed by VAR reviews, yet was not awarded, raising concerns about the effectiveness of VAR in ensuring fair play during decisive moments.

Following the defeat, Al-Ittihad remains on 34 points, slipping to seventh place, while Al-Nassr climbed to 49 points, maintaining second place, just one point behind league leaders Al-Hilal.