The secret is in Tony: refereeing surprise in the Al-Ahly v Al-Khaleej match

Controversial moment

Al-Ahli thrashed Al-Khaleej 4-1 in the eleventh round of the Saudi Roshn Pro League, but the result told only half the story. An early flashpoint threw the game wide open to refereeing controversy when England's Ivan Toney opened the scoring amid fierce objections over whether the goal should have stood.

Toney struck in the eleventh minute, yet the drama only began there. The Video Assistant Referee pored over the incident for several minutes before Saudi referee Abdullah Al-Shehri confirmed the goal. His decision raised two questions: whether an Al-Ahli player stood in an offside position, and whether Toney had fouled Al-Khaleej defender Mohammed Khabrani in the build-up.

Al-Khaleej coach Jose Gomes protested furiously. He found support from refereeing voices who argued the goal should have been chalked off, among them former international referee and analyst Saad Al-Kathiri, who told the newspaper "Al-Jazirah" that the decision to allow it was wrong.

According to Al-Kathiri, the incident demanded an offside call against the Al-Ahli player involved. That player, he argued, obstructed the Al-Khaleej defender and denied him the chance to cover properly. In his view, the offside player affected the play enough to rule the goal out.

Read also: Exclusive to "Kooora": Wahbi prepares an attacking surprise for Morocco in November

Al-Shehri saw it differently. After studying the replay on the pitchside monitor, he judged the contact to be nothing more than a normal physical challenge and stuck by his decision, confirming the goal for Al-Ahli.

One early goal, two readings. The referee on the pitch said play on. Al-Kathiri saw an offside and a foul. Al-Ahli, meanwhile, marched on to a 4-1 win, with Toney grabbing a brace that took him to 13 goals and the top of the Roshn League scoring charts.