“The Asian” decides on Al-Ahly youth’s complaint during a meeting held today

Emirates Al-Youm learned that the Asian Football Confederation will decide today on the arbitration complaint submitted by Shabab Al-Ahly Club after its match against Japan’s Machida Zelvia (0-1) in the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League (Elite), the day before yesterday, in one of the most controversial issues in the tournament.

Emirates Al-Youm learned that the protest submitted by Shabab Al-Ahly was accepted and officially transferred to the Disciplinary and Ethics Committee, the authority responsible for making the final decision, and that Shabab Al-Ahly demanded a replay of the match.

A source close to Shabab Al-Ahly Club revealed, “The AFC confirmed that the decision to consider the possibility of replaying the match will be in the hands of the Disciplinary Committee, in accordance with the approved regulations.”

In light of these developments, the delegation of the Shabab Al-Ahly team decided to remain in the city of Jeddah, and not to leave at the present time, pending the decision of the Disciplinary Committee, in a step that reflects the club’s adherence to its rights, and its keenness to follow up on the case until the final ruling is issued, especially since the possibility of a replay of the match is possible, in light of the circumstances that accompanied the incident and based on the Asian regulations.

The background to the crisis is due to the controversial arbitration decisions that took place in the match, which sparked a widespread wave of anger, after canceling Shabab Al-Ahly’s equalizer in the 92nd minute, in a shot that many considered one of the most controversial arbitration cases in the tournament.

The match witnessed a decisive moment when Bala scored the equalizer with a powerful shot from outside the penalty area, before the Australian referee, Sean Evans, intervened and decided to cancel the goal after returning to video technology, due to a violation related to the timing of the resumption of play during a substitution for the Japanese team, despite the fact that play continued normally without any suspension.