The expulsion of the Shabab Al-Ahly defender would have changed the course of the match

Al-Jazira coach, the Dutchman Marino Bosic, opened the arbitration file for the first time since he took over the leadership of the team, criticizing the referee’s decisions in his team’s match against Shabab Al-Ahly, which ended with Al-Jazira losing 1-2, in the 21st round of the professional league, yesterday, stressing that one of the influential cases had a direct role in changing the course of the match.

Although Pusic avoided talking about arbitration in previous matches, after the end of the Shabab Al-Ahly match, he stressed that what happened in this particular confrontation was clear and could not be ignored, especially with the presence of a situation that he considered a “definite opportunity” to score, which should have been followed by a decision to expel the Shabab Al-Ahly defender, which would not have given his team a numerical advantage at a crucial time in the match.

Pusic told Emirates Today: “I don’t usually talk about arbitration, and this is perhaps the first time since I took over as coach of Al Jazira, but what happened in this match was clear. There was a clear obstruction near the goal, and Shabab Al-Ahly defender Bogdan was supposed to be sent off, but the referee settled for a yellow card, which is a strange decision in a clear situation.”

He added: “We know the rules well, and when there is an obstruction that prevents a scoring opportunity achieved and close to the goal, the natural decision is the red card. If we had played with a numerical advantage at this time, the course of the match could have changed dramatically.”

The Dutch coach continued: “Despite that, it cannot be denied that we played a strong match against a team that is considered one of the best in the league. There were periods in our favor and others in favor of the opponent, especially in the second half, which witnessed more opportunities for Shabab Al-Ahly.”

He explained: “We stayed in the atmosphere of the match until the end, and this is very important. When you are close to the result, you still have a chance to come back, and we already had this opportunity, but we did not invest it in the desired way.”

Bosic stressed that his team showed a strong personality, saying: “What I liked most about the match was that the players did not give up, and continued to fight until the last minute.” This spirit reflects the team’s personality and its true desire to compete.”