Why are Al Ahli accusing Cristiano Ronaldo of match fixing in Saudi Pro League?

Title race heats up amid growing analysis over refereeing calls.

A recent matchweek 29 fixture of the Saudi Pro League between Al Fayha and Al Ahli ended in a 1-1 draw. After the result, the away club and their players did not look happy at all after the decisions taken by the match officials.

The English forward Ivan Toney, who is also the top scorer in the Saudi League at the moment, criticised the refereeing decisions. The 30-year-old went on to express his dissatisfaction during the post-match interview.

After being held to a draw, the Royals are now four points behind Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr, who lead the Saudi Pro League points table and have a game in hand.

Al Ahli Saudi have been performing well this season and these two points might affect them in the title race.

Why is Cristiano Ronaldo facing match-fixing allegations from Al Ahli?

Ivan Toney was the sole goal scorer for his side in the 1-1 draw between Al Fayha and Al Ahli. The Royals weren’t handed a penalty on three occasions, and this led them to drop two points.

During the post-match interview, the English forward mentioned, “The big talking point was the two penalties. It’s clear as day. I don’t know what more you want him to do? Pick the ball up with two hands, are you going to give a penalty then or not?”

This situation surely raises concerns for other teams as well.

“And then we try to talk to the referee and he tries to tell us to focus on the AFC [Asian Champions League]. How can the referee say this? We’re talking about now and he says focus on the AFC. If you want me to go deeper, I can go deeper. It might get me into trouble but I’m a man who says it how it is,” Ivan Toney mentioned further.

The former Brentford man also went on to share his point on the social media platform Instagram. Toney was clearly not happy with the decisions taken by the on-field referees and the VAR.

Cristiano Ronaldo, who joined Al Nassr back in 2022, is yet to win the Saudi Pro League title with his club. They have secured only the Arab Club Champions Cup in 2023 since the arrival of the Portuguese talisman.

Al Ahli have also come up with a statement in which they have mentioned, “The referee’s decisions had a direct impact on the flow of the game and its final outcome, which in turn affected the team’s position in the title race.”

“Such errors raise legitimate concerns regarding the referee selection process and the criteria applied, particularly given the high technical and competitive level of the Saudi Roshn League.

The team has faced unfair refereeing decisions, an unacceptable situation that neither serves the development of the competition nor upholds the principle of competitive fairness, which must be the foundation of any successful tournament.”

The Royals also want to examine the recordings, where the communications took place between on-field referees and VAR.

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