Al Nassr Boss Luis Castro Pleads for ‘Strong Referees’ in King Cup Final Following Penalty Controversy Against Al Hilal

Soccer can test the perseverance of the best of teams. The fight for the first title of the season continues for Al Nassr as the club gets ready to take on Al Hilal in the King Cup final. Despite gathering one of the strongest squads this season with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, the club in yellow couldn’t stop their Riyadh rivals. But Luis Castro, their coach has a request for better referees from the SAFF after another decision that went against them in yesterday’s match.

The Portuguese coach doesn’t want to take any more risks before the season ends. According to reports, Castro requested foreign referees even for VAR saying, “We want a third team of strong referees in the final against Al Hilal.” This comes after Al Nassr once again failed to win a game against Jorge Jesus’ side conceding in the dying minutes of the game and needing another VAR involvement. Neymar’s team drew the game 1-1.

The first team of foreign officials was already requested earlier this month and the club is ready to take care of the related expenses. However, the Knights of Najd are not ready to compromise on the quality. It is clearly evident that they need the best of the referees indicating their displeasure from previous games against Al Hilal.

Last night’s game summed up the season for the club in yellow this season. Hardly could anyone image a team not winning any title despite going on an unbeaten 20-game streak. Such was the fortune of Al Nassr which conceded a penalty in the 5th minute of injury time in the second half. Sadio Mane was deemed guilty by La Liga referee Jose Sanchez Martinez after his hand was claimed to stop Al Hilal player Saud Abdulhamid. However, the VAR left the decision to the Spaniard on the field after their indecisiveness.

Luis Castro calls out a refereeing decision against Al Nassr versus Al Hilal

Al Nassr’s coach did not hold back from calling out the referee for giving it a penalty. Castro felt that the touch wasn’t serious to be given one. He reportedly stated, “The penalty given to them and scored by them; it wasn’t at all a penalty. There is no injury, there is no foul at all.” But Castro is now confident of beating the team in blue in the King Cup final on the 31st. He further said that Al Hilal had a tough game last night facing them and could have been the winners if not for the penalty given.

Nevertheless, despite the loss, Al Nassr is stepping into the final with a lot of confidence. With their other key player Anderson Talisca recovering well from a thigh injury, Castro is also confident of having him back by that time. But whether the Knights of Najd capitalize on their strengths and finally get hold of a title this time will have to be seen.