On Wednesday, UAE club Shabab Al-Ahli officially requested a replay of their Asian Champions League semi-final against Japanese team Machida Zelvia, asserting that their late equaliser should have been awarded.
The Emirati side suffered a 1-0 defeat in Jeddah on Tuesday, but a source from the club informed AFP that the referee committed a technical blunder by disallowing a goal scored in the 93rd minute.
Machida Zelvia opened the scoring with a goal from Yuki Soma in the 12th minute, but Shabab Al-Ahli believed they had equalised as Brazilian winger Guilherme Bala found the net as the clock was winding down.
However, Australian referee Shaun Evans ruled the goal out after consulting the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), which determined that the Emirati team had taken a throw-in leading to the goal before the Japanese side had finalised a substitution.
A source within Shabab Al Ahli, who wished to remain anonymous, stated to AFP: “An official complaint was lodged by the club before the players departed the stadium.”
“This complaint includes a request for the match to be replayed, hence the decision was made to keep the team in Jeddah until a ruling is reached regarding our request.”
The appeal necessitates swift consideration, as Machida Zelvia is set to face defending champions Al Ahli of Saudi Arabia in the final on Saturday.
The UAE Football Association has expressed its support for Shabab Al Ahli, stating it will assist the club “in any action it takes to protect its rights” and has urged the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to “assign suitable officiating teams for its competitions.”
Following the match, frustrated Shabab Al Ahli players confronted the referee, resulting in goalkeeper Hamad Al Maqbali receiving a red card.
Al Maqbali remarked: “The referee was intent on our elimination, and he succeeded in achieving that.”
Portuguese head coach of Shabab Al Ahli, Paulo Sousa, commented: “The referee treated Shabab Al Ahli unjustly, disallowing a legitimate goal due to a significant technical error. He was the one who permitted play to resume, so why did he annul the goal afterwards?”
He further added: “Everyone’s performance has enhanced at this stage of the tournament, except for that of the referees.”
AFP has reached out to the AFC for a comment.
Compiled by SportArena.au
Fanpage: SportArena.au.
LiveScore – Live Sports Results & Odds.
