Referee Abdulrahman Al-Jassim has acknowledged a significant error in his handling of the recent Saudi Pro League match between Al-Ittihad and Al-Matchkeda, confirming he should have sent off an Al-Ittihad player.
The incident occurred during the first half of the match on Friday, April 19, 2024. Al-Matchkeda player Abdullah Al-Habib was shown a straight red card by Al-Jassim in the 36th minute for a dangerous challenge on Al-Ittihad’s Fabinho. However, controversy arose just minutes later.
In the 41st minute, Al-Ittihad’s Ahmed Hegazi committed a serious foul on Al-Matchkeda’s Faisel Al-Jamaan. Despite the severity of the challenge, which many observers deemed worthy of a red card, referee Al-Jassim only issued a yellow card to Hegazi.
In a post-match review, the Saudi Arabian Football Federation’s (SAFF) Referees Committee analyzed the footage and concluded that Hegazi’s tackle met the criteria for a straight red card for serious foul play. This assessment was formally communicated to Al-Jassim.
Following this review, referee Abdulrahman Al-Jassim officially admitted his mistake. He confirmed that, upon seeing the replay, Hegazi’s challenge was indeed a red-card offense and that he was wrong to only caution the player during the live action.
The match ultimately finished in a 4-2 victory for Al-Ittihad. This admission from the match official highlights the ongoing scrutiny of refereeing standards in the league, even as the SAFF supports the use of technology and review processes to improve accuracy.
