With a laugh and a defiant message, Yassine has taken the Saudi referees by surprise ahead of the Al-Duhail showdown | Goal.com

Published on 12 Apr 2026 | Reading time: 2 minutes

Al-Ahli Saudi Arabia’s German manager, Matthias Jaissle, has addressed the refereeing controversy that surrounded his side’s match against Al-Fayha, ahead of their eagerly anticipated clash with Qatar’s Al-Duhail tomorrow in the AFC Champions League round of 16.

The row flared after Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Al-Fayha in Roshen League Matchday 29, when the referee declined to award two penalties to the ‘Raqi’.

The row boiled over when the referee declined to award the second spot-kick, prompting protests from Al-Ahli’s bench and players; they were then told by the fourth official to forget about the league and concentrate on Asia.

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The referee’s conduct provoked English striker Ivan Toney and Yassine to confront him, prompting Al-Ahli to issue an official statement demanding access to the audio recordings to protect their rights.

Yassine later used the press conference ahead of the Al-Duhail match to address the incident, saying: “We know how to maintain our focus well, and we always face challenges and overcome them, just as we did in the league recently.”

With a laugh, he added that the team would rise above the league setbacks, stay on course for the title, and remain fully focused on beating Al-Duhail.

The German coach stressed that playing in Jeddah motivates his side to secure the title, adding that Al-Raqi feel no extra pressure as defending champions.

Looking ahead to facing Al-Duhail, he added: “We’ll face a strong opponent, but the team is ready to win and progress to make the fans happy.”

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