Dubai: Al Ahli coach Cosmin Olaroiu has lashed out at referee Yaqoub Al Hammadi after the defending champions were held to a 2-2 draw by cross-city rivals Al Nasr in the 23rd week of the Arabian Gulf League (AGL) on Thursday.
The home side were headed towards full points while leading 2-0 following goals from Ahmad Khalil (24th minute) and Oussama Assaidi (57th). But substitute Hussain Abbas pulled one back in the 69th minute and Mahmoud Khamis converted a contentious penalty kick awarded by Al Hammadi before the full-time whistle to hand Al Nasr a vital away point.
The split points saw Al Ahli jump into fifth place with 34 points, while Al Nasr remained in seventh with 33 points.
Olaroiu refused to believe there was any foul committed by any of his players inside the penalty area that led to the referee pointing to the dreaded spot. “Can someone explain to me the penalty please? The referee has invented this rule and everyone knows why he has done this. The ball following the free kick is going to the goalkeeper and suddenly the referee gives a penalty against a player who is in an off-side position,” he said.
“I am convinced that first and foremost he [Al Hammadi] does not know the rules, and this is bad for our game. The second part is that nobody has punished him as yet for all the blunders he has committed in the past. So this referee thinks that he is doing the right thing. Someone has to tell him that he is making mistakes. In fact, I think that he is being covered and sheltered by someone. I cannot judge his decisions, but it is a shame to the game. He has to learn the rules,” he added.
The Romanian further reiterated that he is not afraid of any ‘punishment’ that may come his way for his outburst against the referee. “I tell the truth and in this case I am saying what I have seen. What do you want me to say? I have to tell the truth. And one thing for sure I know it was not a penalty kick.”
Al Nasr coach Ivan Jovanovic, though pleased with the point, was keen to see his team win the remaining three matches and end in a better position in the standings. “We are not a team that deserves to be in the seventh position. But at this stage we need to look at our fresh target and win the remaining three games and get the maximum points,” Jovanovic said.
“But before that we need to pay attention to our next match of the Gulf Champions League [versus Al Taawon, Saudi Arabia on April 21],” he added.
