Talal Al-Sheikh Defends Al-Shabab

Sports journalist Talal Al-Sheikh defended the management of Al-Shabab Club after the penalties imposed by the Disciplinary and Ethics Committee on the team following the events of the match between Al-Shabab and Al-Ittihad in the semi-finals of the King’s Cup.

Al-Sheikh pointed out that Al-Shabab did not receive adequate support compared to some other clubs, such as Al-Nassr, which repeatedly benefits from refereeing mistakes. He emphasized that if Al-Shabab received the same support, the team's performance would have been different.

Al-Sheikh clarified that the management of Al-Shabab did not complain about refereeing at the beginning of the Saudi League, but criticized the refereeing in the Al-Nassr match after Majid Al-Jumaan took over the responsibility, which led him to attack the refereeing at that time.

Al-Sheikh noted that the aim of bringing in foreign referees was to achieve fairness, but an unsuitable referee was chosen to officiate the match between Al-Shabab and Al-Ittihad, raising questions about the intentions of the committee responsible for appointing referees.

Al-Sheikh concluded by stating that the officials of Al-Shabab have the right to object to the referee chosen for the match, pointing out that Al-Ittihad had paid money to bring in a referee to lead the match in their favor, which diminished Al-Shabab's chances of winning.