The Riyadh coach praises his players after the victory over Diriyah, and the Saudi Football Association denounces unacceptable crowd practices.

Brazilian Mario Dulac, coach of Riyadh, said that his players performed an outstanding job during the victory over Al-Diriyah in the Saudi Professional League.

Dulac said in the press conference: The players did something special in the match, and I thank them for that, and I am proud of them, and this is what I told them in the locker room. We have a lot of work to do during the break, and I am still not satisfied with some things at the club, especially with regard to injuries.

Regarding the impact of absences on the team, Dulac said: Certainly, absent players are influential, but that gives us an opportunity to benefit from young players, as happened last season with a number of players. Such circumstances give them a chance to participate and prove themselves, which is a good thing.

On the other hand, Des Buckingham, coach of Al-Khuloud, congratulated Riyadh on its victory, indicating that his team was required to benefit from the match and learn from the mistakes it made.

He added: Working with the team is cumulative, and every coach seeks to make his mark, and what we will continue to do is work, try, and strive towards achieving success.

He continued: Since the beginning of the season, we have played 8 or 9 matches, during which we performed at good levels. Riyadh succeeded in scoring from the first opportunity and took advantage of it, and we must learn from this match and review our work so that we do not repeat the same mistakes.

The Saudi Football Federation and the Saudi Professional League Association expressed their denunciation of what they described as “unacceptable practices” witnessed in the match between Al-Taawoun and Al-Hilal in the Saudi Professional League by some of the fans present, which are inconsistent with the values ​​of Saudi football and the spirit of sportsmanship.

The Federation and the League stressed that exploiting personal tragedies to insult or provoke is unacceptable behavior that has no place in Saudi football.

The Saudi Federation also confirmed that the relevant committees monitored these practices and have begun taking legal measures regarding them in accordance with the approved rules and regulations, and will announce them as soon as they are completed.

Al-Taawoun Club had expressed its denunciation and categorical rejection of the offensive chants, and stressed that any chants or practices that go beyond the limits of sports encouragement are considered “individual actions that should not be attributed to Al-Taawoun fans,” which he said he cherishes, its awareness and its history of standing behind its club in a sportsmanlike and responsible spirit, stressing at the same time its rejection of any abuse, whatever its source or target.

Al Hilal Club Company had filed an official complaint with the Saudi Football Federation, regarding what it described as “offensive and objectionable collective chants” from a group of Al Taawoun fans towards the Portuguese Ruben Neves during the two teams’ recent confrontation.

Informed sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Disciplinary and Ethics Committee of the Saudi Football Federation began an investigation on Sunday morning into the issuance of offensive chants and phrases against the Al-Hilal player from the stands of Al-Taawoun, and that it will take its official decision within the next few days.

Portuguese Bruno Lage, Diriyah coach, expressed his conviction in the goalless draw against Abha in the Saudi League, explaining that the defensive improvement witnessed by the system over the past months will be followed by intensive work to develop offensive effectiveness.

Lage said during the press conference after the confrontation: It is easy to talk about this match; In the first half, we lost a lot of balls, and this made us lose confidence on the field, but we made changes between the two halves and created chances in the second half, and I think a draw is a fair result today.

When asked about the team’s defensive solidity versus its offensive struggles against opponents that do not possess the ball, he answered: I agree with this proposition. We need to improve in some offensive situations, so we changed the plan today. We were able to build a good defensive system during the past two months, and in the coming period we will work to develop the offensive side as required.

In turn, Croatian Damir Boric, the coach of the Abha team, expressed his dissatisfaction after the draw, stressing that the result does not reflect the course of the match and is not considered fair.

Boric said during the press conference after the confrontation: What happened today is exactly similar to what happened in the Al-Nasr match. We played very well in the first half, and in every match this season we create chances, but we face strange misfortune. I am not completely satisfied with the result of the draw.

He added: In the second half, the team's effort clearly decreased and the pace of the match declined, while Al-Diriyah made some substitutions that gave them more vitality. In the first half, I expected that we would come out ahead by one or two goals for nothing, but in the second half there was a parity between the two teams, and for me I do not see that the result of the tie was fair at all.

Buric concluded his speech by referring to the score of points and evaluating his administrative and technical work, saying: We obtained two points and could have achieved 5 points or more, and some people do not take these circumstances into consideration. I don't like to talk about my work or my future; I am a professional coach and I try hard to make things work. In times of success and positivity, everyone is praised, and in times of negativity, only one person is held responsible. In the end, we will complete our work, talk to the players, and make the best use of the downtime.