JEDDAH — Al Shabab FC has voiced strong discontent over what it described as "blatant refereeing injustice" following the team's dramatic 3-2 loss to Al Ittihad in the semi-final of the King's Cup. In a strongly worded official statement, the club held the refereeing decisions directly responsible for its elimination from the competition, calling for accountability from the Saudi Football Federation. The club said that despite Al Shabab's consistent efforts and standout performances throughout the season, the team was not given fair treatment during the match at King Abdullah Sports City. A penalty awarded to Al Ittihad early in the match, confirmed by VAR, was among the key decisions that sparked outrage from Al Shabab's players, coach, and management. The statement added that the club had formally requested a high-caliber referee for the critical clash, only to be informed that no elite referee was available, which Al Shabab interpreted as an official admission of the failure to assign a qualified officiating team for a match of such magnitude. Upon learning the identity of the appointed referee — German official Sascha Stegemann — the club submitted detailed technical reports highlighting past errors made by the referee and warned of potential issues, only to be met with silence from the referees committee. Al Shabab questioned the process of referee assignments and called for answers and clear mechanisms to prevent what it described as recurring officiating bias. Belgian winger and team captain Yannick Carrasco did not hide his frustration, confronting the match officials post-game and showing journalists clips on his phone to dispute key decisions. "I think the referee made very bad decisions. The penalty wasn't correct. The corner kick before their equalizer wasn't a corner," he said. "At this level, that's just not acceptable." Carrasco further claimed he was denied a penalty himself, saying, "He touched my knee with his knee. That was a penalty too." He concluded: "I'd rather lose 3-0 knowing Al Ittihad played well than to lose a great match like this due to poor decisions." Head coach Fatih Terim echoed Carrasco's sentiments in the post-match press conference, sharply criticizing Stegemann's performance. "The first penalty wasn't correct. VAR called him to review it, yet he insisted. He doesn't have a strong résumé — only two UEFA Champions League matches. He was not the right choice for such an important game," said the Turkish manager. Terim questioned the use of foreign referees altogether, stating, "We've seen repeated refereeing mistakes against Al Shabab. I'd rather have a Saudi referee because at least they are fair with us." Despite the disappointment, he praised his players' fighting spirit, saying, "I'm very proud of the team. We played with identity and heart. This team has great potential." Al Shabab's elimination comes after a fierce contest in which the club took a 2-1 lead late in the second half, only to concede twice in stoppage time to veteran midfielder Danilo Pereira.
