A refereeing incident sparked controversy during the clash between Al-Hilal and Al-Fateh, where a penalty awarded to Al-Fateh was overturned after a VAR review. The reversal came in the 45th minute and drew angry reactions from Al-Fateh's fans and technical staff.
The VAR review
Al-Fateh's players demanded a penalty for a handball inside the box. The video referee intervened and called the on-field official over to review the situation on the VAR screen.
The on-field official then cancelled his initial decision and waved away the spot-kick.
Reaction from Al-Fateh
Al-Fateh's fans and technical staff were furious at the decision.
Risha's view
Mohamed Kamal Risha is the refereeing analyst for Al-Riyadiah. Risha backed the referee's decision.
Risha said: "In the 45th minute, a correct decision from the referee to reverse the award of a penalty to Al-Fateh after returning to watch it on the VAR screen.. There was a handball, and it became clear to the referee after the review that the ball struck the right arm of Mourad Batna, Al-Fateh's player, and not the hand of Kalidou Koulibaly, Al-Hilal's defender."
