A fierce controversy has erupted in the Saudi Pro League after Ivan Toney publicly questioned refereeing decisions following Al-Ahli Saudi FC’s frustrating 1–1 draw with Al-Fayha FC — and appeared to suggest the title race may be favouring Cristiano Ronaldo.
Toney, who scored during Wednesday night’s clash, did not hold back after the final whistle, claiming his side were denied multiple clear penalties during the match.
The England international insisted at least two incidents should have resulted in spot-kicks and expressed disbelief at how the referee handled the situation. According to him, when he and his teammates approached the official to question the decisions, they were told to “focus on the AFC Champions League” instead.
Speaking after the game, Toney said the calls were “clear as day,” arguing that one incident involved an opponent handling the ball with both hands inside the penalty area.
He suggested that referees had been awarding similar fouls earlier in the season but appeared to change their approach as the title race entered its decisive stage.
When asked who might benefit from the controversial calls, Toney gave a telling response — laughing before asking reporters: “We know who… who are we chasing?”
Many observers interpreted the remark as a thinly veiled reference to Ronaldo and his club Al-Nassr FC, who are currently leading the league standings.
The striker later intensified the row on social media by posting video clips of three separate penalty appeals from the match, insisting the incidents were too obvious to ignore.
“It’s crazy how moments like this get missed in such important games,” he wrote, suggesting the officiating team either failed to notice the fouls or deliberately ignored them.
He also criticised the referee for telling players to concentrate on a different competition while the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review process was ongoing — a comment that only fuelled speculation about possible bias.
The controversy quickly spread within the team, with Al-Ahli winger Galeno also taking aim at the league’s officiating.
In a fiery social media post, the Brazilian suggested the league might already have decided its champion.
“They want to hand the trophy to one person,” he wrote, claiming his club was being pushed out of the title race.
Following the backlash, Al-Ahli released an official statement condemning what it described as serious refereeing errors that influenced the outcome of the match.
The club demanded transparency from the league and called for the release of audio recordings between match officials and the VAR team, as well as explanations for the controversial decisions.
According to the club, such mistakes raise serious questions about referee selection and threaten the integrity of the competition.
Despite the drama, the title race remains tight. Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr currently sit two points clear at the top of the Saudi Pro League with seven matches still left to play — meaning every decision from now until the end of the season could prove decisive.
With accusations now flying and tensions rising among rival clubs, the league could face mounting pressure to respond and reassure fans that the championship will be decided on the pitch — not by the whistle.
