SAFF suspend Al-Merdas until the end of the season

Saudi Arabian Football Association (SAFF) refereeing committee decided to suspend international referee Mamdouh Al-Merdas for the rest of the season, Saudi daily Al-Watan reported on Saturday.

The SAFF committee decided to suspend Al-Merdas after committing a host of mistakes during the derby match between Hilal and Shabab clubs in the Saudi league round-one final that ended in a 1-1 draw.

The two Saudi powerhouses objected against Al-Merdas after the match ended and blasted most of the decision he took throughout the match.

The Saudi referee disallowed two correct goals, one for each side, in the Riyadh derby in addition to overlooking a deserved penalty shot for Hilal and giving one player from each club his marching orders.