{
  "id": 3147884,
  "title": "Al-Hazem to file official protest over penalty decisions in Al-Ittihad match",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/25/al-hazem-to-file-official-protest-over-penalty-decisions-in-al",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-25T00:26:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Ajel English",
    "slug": "ajel-english",
    "url": "https://english.ajel.sa/sports/oth1saoqi"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Al-Hazem intends to lodge an official protest regarding refereeing decisions during their 3-2 loss to Al-Ittihad. The Saudi club is seeking access to Video Assistant Referee (VAR) communications to challenge the calls made during their match at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Sports City Stadium in Jeddah. Management of Al-Hazem claims their team was denied two penalty kicks that they assert were crucial in their defeat. The match, which saw Steven Bergwijn score a hat-trick, resulted in Al-Ittihad taking the lead at the 34th minute and adding another penalty goal in the 81st minute to complete their victory. With this result, Al-Ittihad moved to the top of the table, while Al-Hazem remained in tenth position with three points.",
  "summary": "Al-Hazem plans to submit a formal complaint over refereeing decisions in their 3-2 defeat to Al-Ittihad, demanding access to VAR communications.",
  "key_points": [
    "Al-Hazem protests referee decisions in Al-Ittihad match.",
    "Club seeks access to VAR communications to challenge calls.",
    "Al-Hazem claims two denied penalty kicks crucial to loss."
  ],
  "editors_take": "Al-Hazem's planned protest signals frustration with refereeing that they say cost them points, and their push for VAR communications access suggests they aim to challenge not just the calls but the process.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}