The T-shirt incident started with “Do not fine them”… and ended with an “angry” protest.

Informed sources revealed to Asharq Al-Awsat that the Disciplinary Committee of the Saudi Football Association began yesterday to receive the reports of the observers and referees of the Al-Taie and Al-Hilal match, which was held in Hail the day before yesterday, as part of the eighth round of the Saudi Professional League, which ended with Zarqa 3-2. Al-Taie lodged a protest against Al-Hilal; Because of his confrontation with the training crew.

The same sources revealed that it is expected that the Disciplinary Committee will reject Al-Taei Club’s protest for several considerations, including that the match observers did not refuse to wear Al Hilal players training kits and officially participate in the match, and that the match referee gave official approval as well despite the text of Article 24 of the regulation for the competition The Saudi Professional League, which indicates that each club must attend the basic and reserve kits, and the third kit, for each of the players and goalkeepers in all matches of the competition.

According to the third paragraph in the same article, in the event of similarity between the teams of the two teams, the final decision of the match referee is the approval of the official staff of each team to go to the stadium and play the match.

The fourth paragraph of the same article also indicates that the penalties stipulated in the Discipline and Ethics Regulations shall be applied in the event that any club is unable to provide the appropriate kit to play the match based on the decision of the match referee.

Turki Al-Dabaan, president of Al-Taie Club (Photo: Mohammed Al-Manea)

According to reliable sources in Al-Hilal Club and in Hail, the Blue Club did not file a complaint with the Hail Police Station due to the loss of the team’s crews.

The same sources indicated that the events of the match the day before yesterday proceeded normally, and its procedures did not amount to the match observers rejecting the training kits of Al Hilal Club, and the referee of the match did not reject the training kit of the Blue Club, which means that the procedures for playing Al Hilal with the training kit will not expose the team to a loss. The result under the protest Tai.

An official source who attended the incident yesterday told Asharq Al-Awsat: The referees’ observers did not object.. the referees did not.. the administrative observers also did not object.. Rather, the management of Al-Taie Club did not appear and did not express any objection to what happened the day before yesterday. She calls on the match observers not to take any notes on the loss of Al Hilal crews, whether primary, reserve or third, and she stresses on ignoring this incident because she believes that what happened is outside expectations and an emergency circumstance occurred in Al Hilal Club.

The refereeing staff did not object to Al Hilal entering the match in training uniform (Photo: Muhammad Al-Manea)

The source stressed: “The problem is not here. The problem was in the statement of Al-Taei Club, in which it showed words that its officials did not utter before the start of the match. The club’s administration headed by Turki Al-Dabaan was asking the observers not to take notes on Al Hilal losing the team’s crews, but we were surprised by a statement that contradicts reality. ». The source pointed out that the shock of the Al Hilal club management from the statement of Al-Tai is not strange, but that the attendees of the match organizers were also shocked by the media statement of the northern club.

He added: “We used to hear Al-Tai’s official directing his words to Fahd bin Nafel, president of Al-Hilal Club, with regard to its meaning… (What happened is a compelling circumstance), and at the same time, he calls on the observers not to take any notes and (do not fine them), but the statement is completely different from what we heard.”

And he continues: “Al-Dabaan was referring to the Hilalians that the relationship between them is a good one… He never showed any anger, grumbling or (discontent) while waiting for Fahd Al-Mafraj to arrive at the stadium with the training crews… He was cooperative and positive, and his words are very beautiful, suggesting satisfaction with all the procedures. Which took place before the start of the match, but the statement issued after the match was very shocking; Because he was destroying all the words of reassurance and the remarkable state of contentment by the official of Al-Tai, which seemed completely different.”

Yesterday, Asharq Al-Awsat called Turki Al-Dabaan, president of Al-Taie Club, to comment on this, but he did not respond. He added: “Before the match, Al-Mafraj attended the training crews. The referees checked the players’ numbers and made sure that they were correct and matched the team’s official information, and they were 100% correct and identical.”

And about not writing the names of the players behind their shirts, he said that their absence is not as influential as the presence of numbers, and that the fall of a number from the shirt of the Al Hilal player during the match is the responsibility of the match referee, not the observers, noting at the same time that the fall of the number of one of the players was immediately treated with a shirt A replacement by the administrative body in Al-Hilal.

And the source added: “The fact that Al Hilal lost its crews is strange and raises question marks. How can the match crews be lost at a time when the players’ shoes are not lost even though they are in one place on the bus? We do not know the truth of the story about the loss of crews, and perhaps Al-Hilal forgot it in Riyadh, even though he came to Hail by private plane!

The source indicated that the Saudi League League will certainly fine Al Hilal through the Disciplinary Committee for the absence of advertisers from the team’s shirts, as well as the case for Al Hilal’s partners announced in their absence, and the Disciplinary Committee will punish Al Hilal for delaying the start of the match for about 4 minutes, with sums of money only. He revealed that the match officials monitored about 44 water bottles thrown by Al-Taie fans, and accordingly the club will be punished by about 100,000 riyals, according to the disciplinary regulation.

In a statement, Al-Taie’s administration expressed its regret over the technical and administrative violations that occurred in the team’s match against Al-Hilal in the eighth round of the Saudi Roshan League, adding that what happened may be confusing to the fair competition between the teams, so the organizing regulations were The competitions and their arrangements are straightforward.

The management of Al-Taei club said in a media statement: “We were surprised to play with an unapproved team for the opponent team, and not among the kits provided and approved by the match observer, as well as the League at the beginning of the season… Also, the opposing team’s kit was similar to that of his team’s goalkeeper, in violation of what was approved by the match observer.” . The statement added: “All this and more happened in front of everyone in a match broadcast live.”

Al-Taie concluded his statement: “The club’s management will spare no effort in knocking on all doors to preserve their rights. They have confidence in our sports system that manages our local competitions, and we will continue to work to preserve the gains achieved by the club.”

Private sources revealed to Asharq Al-Awsat that the purple shirts that Al Hilal was going to play in the match were lost in the bus two hours before it started, which raised the eyebrows of Al Hilal officials and players.

The Blue Club had to take quick action by preparing the training kits, which were available at another location, away from the bus carrying the match kits, which went missing without the club’s knowledge.

The management of the first team at Al Hilal Club was forced to print the numbers of the players at the Al-Jabalin Club headquarters, without providing the names of the players on the shirts, and without the presence of the Saudi Professional League logo on the shirt. The private source denied to Asharq Al-Awsat that the match observer or referee refused to enter Al-Hilal with his third kit because of its similarity with the Al-Tai team, stressing that Al-Hilal, according to the system of the Saudi Professional League, raised the slogan in which the match will be played and received approval from the association.

The management of Al-Taie Club lodged its protest against the shirt that Al-Hilal participated in the match, amid the similarity of the numbers of the players Ighalo and Carrillo at a moment in the second half of the match, which witnessed the fall of the number 1 from Carilo’s shirt, which bears the number 19, to resemble the number of the shirt of the player Ighalo, which bears the number 9. According to the same source, Al-Hilal administration was surprised by Al-Taie protesting, despite knowing that the strange shirts had been lost.

Al-Hilal club management submitted clarifications to the Saudi League League about what happened and the reasons that took place after losing the players’ shirts.