Football is a cruel game. You can dominate in almost every way but it’s all about finding the back of the net. Don’t do that and you lose. On another night, perhaps most nights, Al Hilal would have beaten Western Sydney Wanderers and taken the Asian Champions League title. Yet, the Australian team got the goal in the first leg and gave everything to protect it.
In Riyadh, the Blue Wave threw everything at the men in red and black but could not find a way past the inspired Ante Covic in goal. And then there was Yuichi Nishimura. The official was taking charge of his first high-profile game since the World Cup opener when he was criticised for giving hosts Brazil a soft penalty. He may have a case of deja vu right about now but that sense will have been stronger among the 65,000 fans packed in the King Fahd Stadium as he turned down penalty appeal after penalty appeal. Four big ones were made, three should have been approved.
The Japanese referee has seen his reputation suffer in this final and it is going to take time to recover, if it ever does. The same can be said of some others too.
As well as cruel, football can be ugly. And there were shades of that on Saturday night. The Asian Champions League final is a big game, there’s none bigger on this giant continent. Al Hilal were desperate to win. There’s nothing wrong with that – the big clubs crave the big prizes – but it doesn’t excuse some of the behaviour on show.
It doesn’t excuse the laser beams being pointed in the eyes of the opposition. This has been going on for years in Asia and is especially common over in the west for the big games. The AFC has to do something. It is time to stamp out such unsportsmanlike actions. This is supposed to be a game.
And it certainly does not excuse Nassir Al Shamrani, who should also be punished. The striker has been one of the best in Asia over the years. It is sad that outside his homeland, he has not received the international recognition he deserved. He was poor in the final. In a half-hour of action, Yasser Al Qahtani carried more danger than Al Shamrani managed in the entire 180 minutes.
It is also sad that his newly-forged international reputation is negative. He will remembered outside his homeland not for scoring goals but for headbutting and then spitting at Matthew Spiranovic. The former is bad enough but at least you could argue that in the red-hot final moments of a final that you are losing, when the referee is giving you nothing then you can lose your head and use it in ways that you should not. Even the great Zinedine Zidane has been guilty of that. If the referee had seen it then he would have sent the player off, though with the official in such form, it is hard to say for sure.
.@Alhilal_FC star blasted by fans for spitting on opponent. Calls for 3 month ban. http://t.co/ZkucKjHQQV @WSWKSA pic.twitter.com/CoEm5w2zMN
— Yahoo Sports ME (@YahooSportsME) November 3, 2014
But worse was to follow. All have surely seen Al Shamrani spitting at the same Wanderer after the game. It almost caused a mass brawl at the very moment when the world’s biggest continent should have been celebrating its new champion. It was only due to the presence of some cooler heads, on both sides, that instead of the trophy ceremony, the watching world was not treated to a free for all.
Even so, the pictures of the phlegm and the fight were beamed far and wide and for some, will be the abiding image of the final. Saudi and Asian football deserves more. Passion and desire for glory are necessary. It is also understandable that given the defensive way the Wanderers play – and their skill at that game – and the decisions of the referee, that there was huge frustration in the stadium. This is the biggest game in the biggest continent in the world, nobody expects a shrug of the shoulders when the trophy is within touching distance. Yet what Al Shamrani did was unacceptable.
Yes, it’s real #ThisIsHistory #ACLChampions pic.twitter.com/m1POxSWR0R
— WS Wanderers FC (@wswanderersfc) November 2, 2014
Punishment should come his way but there is a chance at redemption. ‘The Earthquake’shocked with his actions but will be heading to the Asian Cup in January, the best chance this soon-to-be 31 year-old is likely to have to show the world what he can do with his feet. It won’t be easy for him to convince a skeptical Australian public that he is one of the continent’s top strikers but at least he will get a chance to do so.
And Al Hilal will get more chances too. The history and traditions of this giant club demand no less than more occasions like this. This is a winning machine with a trophy cabinet that few around the world can match but while the Blue Wave know how to win, players like Al Shamrani have to know how to lose. It can be cruel but this is football.
