Stressed that Referee’s Decisions Were Irritable.. Hammad: Al Ain Won’t Seek Any Excuses That Negatively Impact Its Aspirations This Season
Mohammed Obeid Hammad, Board of Directors Member of Al Ain Club Football Company and Supervisor of the First and Reserve Football Teams, stressed that the referee failed to run the match successfully and up to the required professional level. He cited some examples proving his assessment by saying: “Certain decisions were provocative, he failed in communicating in the right manner with Al Ain players in addition to taking hasty decisions by signing over yellow cards to our players which was not the case with the home team.”
“It was only few minutes after the kickoff whistle when the referee signed over a yellow card to Mohammed Abdul Rahman following the first friction with Al Hilal’s player,” said he. Hammad went on to say: “Add to that he did not whistle for an unmistakable offside against the opposing team. That case could have resulted in the home team taking the lead! I do believe that such irritating issues would provoke any coach who is defending the case of his team, particularly that the referee was so excessive in using unjustified warning cards in the manner that may result in missing the efforts of a number of Al Ain players in critical stages of the competition.”
The Board of Directors Member stated: “Al Ain played his match against Al Hilal bearing in mind and focusing on snatching the three points.” He stressed: “Securing one away point in the first match of ACL 2018 is not bad compared to the level of the team’s performance and the easy and wasted chances during the first half. Indeed, Al Ain without a doubt was able to seal the match in their favor.”
On Al Ain’s level of performance against Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal, he said: “Based on the performance of both teams in the pitch, they were equal though Al Ain’s chances were created through overt and organized offensive attempts. However, the team’s strikers were not lucky enough to score in several occasions.” He pointed out: “As I mentioned to you, the result is satisfactory, given that the match ended by a goalless draw. It is a must for Al Ain to invest in the two important factors of the fans and home turf in the coming stages of ACL 2018.”
Highlighting the team’s strategy to handle the tight schedule of matches and its pressures, he said: “For its big name and honorable football history, Al Ain surely is not seeking to find excuses that might negatively impact its goals in all its coming matches. Bearing in mind that the team is armed with several positive factors to meet all types of circumstances starting with the team’s boundless experience in handling the pressure of matches, the mechanism adopted by the technical and medical staff to achieve the balance required during the next phase and the stunning professional mentality of Al Ain’s players in dealing with each match and channeling their efforts to achieve the best and strongest results.” He concluded his statement: “All these factors are advantageous to the team and we have to invest in them in the right manner to the best interests to the Club in order to achieve the desired ambitions in the current season.”
