Players of the Australian Western Sydney Wanderers (in red) celebrate after winning the second leg of the AFC Champions League 2014 final against Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal at the King Fahd Stadium in Riyadh Saturday. — AFP
RIYADH — Angry Al-Hilal officials are demanding an investigation into the appointment and performance of match officials in the Saudi club’s 1-0 aggregate loss to Western Sydney in the Asian Champions League final, describing the outcome as “a black spot in the history of Asian football.”
In a statement posted in English on its website, Al-Hilal’s board of directors insisted that Asian Football Confederation President Sheikh Salman Bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa “open a formal investigation through all the official and legal channels” into those responsible for appointing Iranian referee Alireza Faghani for the first leg in Sydney and Japanese referee Yuichi Nishimura for the return leg at Riyadh.
The Wanderers, established in 2012, became the first Australian club to capture the Asian title after holding on for a 0-0 draw in Riyadh Saturday, a week after winning 1-0 at home.
The Al-Hilal statement was released late Monday, within hours of the Wanderers returning to Sydney.
The statement raised the specter of outside influences and said the “referees wasted the players’ rights in getting six penalties, including two explicit penalties in the first leg; and four in the second leg.”
It said Sheikh Salman “should bear the responsibility and stop the blunders ... that appeared suspiciously and tarnished the reputation of the AFC, which raised many questions about the AFC Championships and the integrity and fairness of its competitions, and the need to ensure the absence of any effect of betting offices scattered among football.”
Al-Hilal also questioned the appointment of Nishimura based on his performance at the World Cup in Brazil.
In the opening match of the World Cup in June, Nishimura awarded a contentious penalty in host Brazil’s 3-1 win over Croatia. The experienced J-League official saw defender Dejan Lovren place a hand on the arm of Brazil’s Fred and the striker reacted by hurling himself to the ground. Nishimura blew for a penalty and Neymar scored it, transforming the game.
“It is surprising to appoint a referee for the second leg who was deported from refereeing in the last World Cup as a result of his mistakes during the tournament as well the end of his refereeing career at the end of this game, which proves that appointing him as a referee for the match is a big mistake that requires investigation and causes punishment,” Al-Hilal’s statement said.
“What happened in the second leg of the AFC Champions League final is a black spot in the history of Asian football, and looting of the right of an entire people who has been waiting for happiness and enjoyment of fair competition.”
The Australian Associated Press reported that the Wanderers’ “upset win led to ugly scenes” after Saturday’s match in Riyadh, with “Al-Hilal striker Nasser Al-Shamrani appearing to head butt and later spit on Wanderers defender Matthew Spiranovic.”
Al-Hilal, a two-time continental champion, was unlucky not to receive penalties on either side of the halftime break and later in the match for a suspected hand ball in the area as the Wanderers defended grimly to hang on to their lead.
Football Federation Australia and the Wanderers declined to comment on Al-Hilal’s complaints.
The AFC did not comment immediately, although Sheikh Salman did issue a statement after attending the match.
“I must commend Western Sydney Wanderers for winning the 2014 AFC Champions League following an intense final against Al-Hilal. It is a truly remarkable achievement, to be the first Australian team to win the trophy in the history of the competition.”
“Western Sydney defeated J. League champions Sanfrecce Hiroshima, 2013 winners Guangzhou Evergrande from China and last year’s runners-up FC Seoul from Korea Republic, before their victory against Al-Hilal, therefore, they definitely deserve their place,” at the FIFA Club World Cup in Morocco. — AP
