Al Ahli coach Marino Pusic misses media conference after interpreter’s dismissal

Al Ahli head coach Marino Pusic was unable to attend his post-match news conference after their 3-0 defeat by Al Hilal because no translator was available, the Roshn Saudi League said.

The league announced that Pusic’s scheduled press conference had been cancelled following the Saudi Arabian clubs’ meeting at Kingdom Arena. The match was a postponed fixture from the third round of the Roshn Saudi League.

Al Hilal secured a convincing victory in the Al Ahli classic, scoring twice before half-time and adding a third goal after the interval. The result was made more difficult for Al Ahli by the dismissal of Turkey defender Merih Demiral, who was sent off during the first half.

According to Saudi newspaper Al-Riyadiyah, the league’s media co-ordinator told journalists covering the match that Pusic could not take part in the conference because an interpreter was not available.

The translator assigned to the fixture had been shown a red card late in the opening half. As a result, the interpreter was not permitted to attend the media duties scheduled after the match, leaving Pusic unable to address reporters.

Al Ahli were already two goals behind when Demiral was dismissed. They were forced to play the remainder of the contest with 10 players, and Al Hilal took advantage by scoring again in the second half to complete a 3-0 win.

The fixture had been postponed from the third round of the Saudi league and was played at Kingdom Arena. The league’s announcement concerned the cancellation of the Al Ahli manager’s press conference after the final whistle.

It was an unusual conclusion to an increasingly difficult evening for Pusic’s side, who conceded twice in the first half, lost a player to a red card and then allowed Al Hilal to extend their lead after the interval.

Al Hilal’s victory settled the latest edition of the Al Ahli classic, while the post-match media conference was abandoned for an operational reason linked to the earlier dismissal of the translator.