Toney accuses referee bias
England striker Ivan Toney accused Saudi referees of favoring Cristiano Ronaldo's Al‑Nassr in continental play, saying officials are biased toward 'the team at the top.' (x.com) Public allegations like this can escalate scrutiny on officiating standards in the region and affect how clubs and federations respond to controversial calls. (x.com)
Ivan Toney turned a 1-1 draw with Al-Fayha on April 8 into a much bigger fight when he said Al-Ahli had three penalty shouts ignored and accused officials of helping “the team at the top,” a line widely read as a swipe at Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr. (goal.com) The match hurt because Al-Ahli came in chasing first place in the Saudi Pro League and left with one point instead of three. The league table on April 9 showed Al-Nassr first on 70 points after 27 matches, with Al-Ahli third on 65 points from the same number of games. (spl.com.sa) Toney’s anger was not only about the scoreboard. He said a fourth official told him to stop complaining because “this is not Europe, this is Saudi,” which is the kind of remark that turns a normal refereeing complaint into a league-wide controversy. (goal.com) That is why Ronaldo’s name got pulled in even though Al-Nassr were nowhere near the stadium. When a player says calls are going toward the club leading the title race, the biggest star on that club becomes part of the story whether he spoke or not. (worldsoccertalk.com) There is extra bite here because Al-Ahli are not some mid-table outsider throwing stones. Al-Ahli won the Asian Football Confederation Champions League Elite on May 3, 2025, beating Kawasaki Frontale 2-0 in Jeddah for the club’s first continental title. (fifa.com) Toney is also not shouting from the edge of the squad. His goal against Al-Fayha was his 27th league goal of the 2025-26 season, and Reuters reported that it matched Al-Ahli’s single-season Saudi Pro League scoring record. (thestar.com.my) So the complaint lands differently than a random post-match rant. It is coming from the striker carrying Al-Ahli’s title push at the exact moment the club says key decisions are going against it. (beinsports.com) Saudi football has spent the past three years paying for global stars, global television deals, and global attention. The trade-off is that refereeing decisions now get judged with the same microscope that follows the Premier League, La Liga, and the UEFA Champions League. (fifa.com, spl.com.sa) Public accusations like Toney’s usually force one of three responses: silence from the league, a disciplinary charge against the player, or a review of the officiating crew. By April 9, the noise was already spreading beyond one match because Al-Ahli teammate Galeno was also quoted saying the trophy was being pushed toward “one person.” (msn.com) If the next few rounds bring another disputed decision in an Al-Nassr or Al-Ahli game, this clip will come right back. Once players start saying the league’s biggest club gets the soft whistle, every close call stops looking isolated and starts looking connected. (worldsoccertalk.com)
