Al Ahli wasted little time in making clear their abhorrence at the level of officiating in their game against Al Fayha on Wednesday.
The Jeddah club's frustrations were borne out of several questionable decisions that went against them during the match.
Ahli were denied what they believed were several penalties. The match finished 1-1, putting a severe dent in their title aspirations.
“Such errors raise legitimate concerns regarding the referee selection process and the criteria applied, particularly given the high technical and competitive level of the Saudi Roshn League,” the club wrote.
“The team has faced unfair refereeing decisions, an unacceptable situation that neither serves the development of the competition nor upholds the principle of competitive fairness."
Whether real or perceived, Ahli clearly feel there is a vendetta against them. One player even went as far as to say the league was actively trying to help Cristiano Ronaldo win the title.
Brazil forward Galeno made no attempt to disguise his feelings after the game. Although he didn't refer to him by name, identifying the "one person" he referred to was fairly easy.
“Hand over the trophy, that's what they want,” Galeno wrote on X. “They want to knock us out of the championship by any means necessary, they want to hand the trophy to one person, a total lack of respect for our club.”
Genuine gripe or sour grapes? What is not up for debate is Ahli's feeling of having been wronged, not just in this game, but in the past. The club felt compelled to call out the level of officiating, and in doing so the league's integrity has also been called into question.
It was only in February that Ronaldo was reportedly claiming the league was rigged against him.
Karim Benzema's transfer deadline day move to Al Hilal, following the cancellation of his Al Ittihad contract, caused the Portuguese huge consternation.
Apart from their rivals capturing a world-class forward and league-and-cup winner, Ronaldo saw the move as the PIF, the Saudi sovereign wealth fund that majority owns Ronaldo's Al Nassr, Ittihad, Al Ahli and Hilal, favouring the latter in the title race.
Ronaldo effectively went on strike. He was left out of the matchday squad that ran out 2-0 winners over Ittihad on February 6, the second successive match he was omitted by coach Jorge Jesus.
Bridges appeared to have been mended, and Ronaldo has been integrated back into the team since, but only after he was given a sharp rebuke by the league, who issued a statement saying "no individual – however significant – determines decisions beyond their own club".
The 41-year-old's return to the side has been hampered by a hamstring injury picked up just before the most recent international break. He scored a brace on his comeback, a 5-2 win over struggling Al Najmah, last weekend to help keep Nassr top of the table.
Ahli's midweek draw left Matthias Jaissle's side third in the table, four points behind Nassr with only six games left. Nassr can extend their lead on Saturday when they face Al Okhdood.
All eyes are always on Ronaldo whenever he plays, but perhaps even more so this time. Will the match referee be mindful of Ahli's sharp criticism of his peers, perhaps be less inclined to give decisions the Nassr captain's way? Will there be extra scrutiny to fight the perception the league are favouring Ronaldo?
Is this all part of Ahli's "mind games", designed to derail the league leaders down the final stretch? As fanciful as that seems, it is a tactic long employed by many teams across history. Alex Ferguson, the legendary Manchester United manager, was famous for it. Jose Mourinho is another famous exponent, while Jorge Jesus has been known to dabble in the supposed "dark art" as well.
Nassr are chasing a 14th straight victory in the league on Saturday. Victory will take them one step closer to a first Saudi title in seven years and Ronaldo to a first trophy of significance since his seismic move to the Kingdom in 2022.
Ahli need all the help they can get.
