Referee expert Ahmed Abu Khadija resolved the controversy surrounding the disallowed goal for Al-Ittihad against Machida Zelvia during the AFC Champions League elite quarter-final match.

Abu Khadija clarified that the decision to disallow the goal was correct, pointing out that there was a clear handball by the player Danilo Pereira just before the ball was scored.

He confirmed that the law stipulates the cancellation of any goal that comes after a direct handball, even if it was unintentional, which makes the decision of the refereeing team consistent with the approved regulations.

The match witnessed a great deal of controversy following this incident, especially with the objection of Al-Ittihad players and fans to the referee's decision during the game.

The disallowed goal came at a critical moment in the match, which was showing a score of the Japanese team leading by one goal to nil, increasing the significance of the refereeing decision.

This moment sparked ongoing debate about the refereeing performance, despite experts confirming the correctness of the decision, in a match that ended with the team's exit from the continental tournament.