Al-Farraj explains why Al Owais received a guard of honour before Al Hilal v Al Ittihad

Walid Al-Farraj has revealed that Al Hilal proposed the guard of honour for Saudi Arabia goalkeeper Mohammed Al Owais before Saturday’s Riyadh derby against Al Ittihad, ending speculation over who organised the tribute.

Al Owais walked on to the pitch carrying the Gulf Cup 27 trophy before kick-off at Kingdom Arena, where players from both clubs formed a guard of honour to celebrate Saudi Arabia’s fourth title in the competition.

The ceremony prompted criticism from some supporters because the national team’s success was being marked inside Al Hilal’s stadium, before a match involving one of the club’s biggest domestic rivals. Others questioned whether the tribute had been linked too closely to Al Hilal because Al Owais plays for the club.

Speaking on his programme Sport with Walid, Al-Farraj said the original proposal came from Al Hilal, rather than the Saudi Arabian Football Federation.

“It was a proposal from Al Hilal to honour the Saudi national team captain after recently winning the Gulf Cup, and the federation approved it. There is no bias involved,” he said.

Al-Farraj explained that Al Hilal had wanted to recognise Al Owais following the national team’s triumph, and that the Saudi Arabian Football Federation subsequently agreed to the club’s request. The ceremony was then scheduled to take place before the Al Hilal-Al Ittihad classic.

He added that even if the suggestion had come from the Saudi Pro League, the fixture would still have provided a suitable occasion because it was one of the most prominent matches of the current season and attracted a large audience.

Al-Farraj’s comments were intended to clarify the background to the presentation and address questions about the decision to hold it before a club match. A social media post from Rotana Sport with Walid also stated that Al Hilal had contacted the Saudi Arabian Football Federation and Al Ittihad, with both agreeing to the guard of honour for Al Owais.

Al Hilal won the match 3-2 on Saturday at Kingdom Arena in the eighth round of the Roshn Saudi League.

The explanation also comes amid discussion of Fahd Al-Mufarrij, the current executive director of the Saudi Arabia national team, who has a long history of administrative work with Al Hilal. However, Al-Farraj’s account indicates that the initiative came from the club itself, and there is no evidence that Al-Mufarrij’s background at Al Hilal was a factor in organising the tribute.