Al-Hazem were denied a penalty in Al-Ittihad match, says Fahad Al-Mirdasi

Al-Hazem should have been awarded a penalty during their match against Al-Ittihad, according to refereeing expert Fahad Al-Mirdasi, who described the decision not to award a spot-kick as a significant officiating error.

Al-Mirdasi said the incident occurred in the 32nd minute, when a foul was committed inside the penalty area against an Al-Hazem player. Speaking on the television programme “Nadina”, he argued that the referee’s decision to allow play to continue was incorrect.

The former referee identified Al-Ittihad player Stefan Keller as the player who committed the offence on Al-Hazem’s Bolulu. In his assessment, the challenge was clear enough to warrant a penalty for the opposing side.

Al-Mirdasi also criticised the role of the video assistant referee, saying the error was not limited to the on-field official. He said VAR should have intervened and asked the referee to review the incident on the pitch.

“The VAR referee should have called the match referee to watch the incident again,” Al-Mirdasi said.

His comments have added to the continuing debate over refereeing decisions in Roshn Saudi League matches, particularly those involving disputed incidents inside the penalty area. The expert’s view is that Al-Hazem lost the opportunity to take a penalty because the incident was not reviewed.

The decision came during a match between Al-Ittihad and Al-Hazem, with the latter seeking a ruling in their favour after the contact involving Keller and Bolulu. Al-Mirdasi’s analysis focused specifically on the incident in the 32nd minute and the failure of both the referee and VAR to overturn or reassess the original decision.

The case is the latest example of the scrutiny applied to video-assisted decisions when an incident inside the box could have a direct impact on a match. Although VAR is able to recommend an on-field review in situations involving a possible penalty, Al-Mirdasi believes that process was not followed on this occasion.

His assessment was delivered during his appearance on “Nadina”, where he discussed the officiating in the fixture and concluded that the correct decision should have been a penalty to Al-Hazem.

Separately, the source article also referenced another football story concerning Martinelli, Al-Hilal and Arsenal, while directing readers to Kooora forums for further discussion of football news and topics. It also promoted ticket sales for Roshn Saudi League matches.