Fabio Carille says Al-Fayha were not told about added time

After Al-Fayha’s 3-2 defeat to Al-Ahli Saudi on Monday night in the 10th round of the Roshn Saudi League, Fabio Carille strongly challenged the handling of first-half stoppage time. The Brazilian coach said his team had not been informed that an extra minute would be added, during which Al-Ahli scored a goal he considers disputed.

Carille said he asked the referee why play had continued beyond the two minutes that had been announced. “I asked him why a minute had been added to stoppage time at the end of the first half, and Al-Ahli scored during that minute. He told me the decision had been made with the fourth official. Our technical staff had not been informed, and I am surprised by what happened,” he said at the post-match press conference.

The coach spoke with the referee afterwards. In Carille’s view, the timing of the goal affected the course of the match. His complaint was therefore about both the extension itself and the fact that, he said, Al-Fayha’s bench did not know about it. The goal came after the two announced minutes had elapsed and became a point of debate after the match.

Carille also defended his team’s performance. He pointed to chances missed in the first half and said Al-Ahli had not posed a major threat before scoring. He believed Al-Fayha could have achieved a better result if his players had made more of their opportunities. In his assessment, the team was not rewarded for what it showed at certain stages, while Al-Ahli converted its chances and took all three points.

Carille’s interpretation was not the only view of the incident. Saad Al-Kathiri, a former international referee, backed the decision to allow the goal. He said the announced amount of added time is a minimum and that the referee can extend it. The two positions highlight different parts of the dispute: Carille focused on his staff not being notified, while the expert argued that the referee was entitled to let play continue. For Al-Fayha, the defeat and the missed chances were the other sources of frustration cited by the coach.