Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has informed Shabab Al-Ahli Club of the decision issued today, Thursday, by its Disciplinary and Ethics Committee, rejecting their protest regarding the refereeing errors that occurred during their AFC Champions League semi-final match against Machida Zelvia. The match ended in a 1-0 victory for the Japanese team.
According to the decision, the result of the match was upheld, with the request to replay the match or to count the disallowed goal being rejected.
The decision did not include detailed reasoning or technical justifications. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) granted Al-Fursan’s management a 10-day period to request the reasoning behind the ruling, in preparation for taking legal action. This could potentially lead to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Al Ahli had requested a replay after their equalizing goal, scored in stoppage time, was disallowed. This was due to an incomplete substitution by Machida Zelvia, a decision that sparked widespread controversy.
