Al-Hilal player celebrates after scoring against Al-Qadisiyah

RIYADH, Jan 29: The Saudi Football Federation has acknowledged a refereeing error in the Al-Hilal vs Al-Qadisiyah match in the Saudi Premier League, according to local media reports.

Al-Qadisiyah secured a thrilling 2-1 victory over Al-Hilal on Monday in Dammam, concluding the 17th round of the league.

A controversial moment occurred in the 42nd minute when Al-Qadisiyah’s Nacho Fernandez made a handball during a joint challenge with Al-Hilal's Sergej Savic, prompting calls for a penalty from the "leader" players. However, Austrian referee Julian Weinberger dismissed these appeals, awarding an indirect free kick to Al-Qadisiyah instead, after consulting the video assistant referee (VAR). Refereeing expert Muhammad Kamal Risha called the decision "strange" in statements to Al-Riyadhiyah.

Al-Jazirah newspaper reported that the VAR official advised the on-field referee that Nacho should have been sent off for deliberately handling the ball and that a penalty should have been awarded to Al-Hilal. Despite this, Weinberger stood by his decision, calling it offside.

The Saudi Football Federation’s referees committee has since confirmed that the decision not to expel Nacho was incorrect, with no valid justification for the call.

Meanwhile, the 18th round of the Roshn Professional League kicks off today with three matches: Al-Orobah vs. Al-Ahly, Al-Riyadh vs. Al-Wehda, and Al-Raed vs. Al-Nasr.