Al Jazeera blame ref

Al Jazeera players were left fuming following the 0-0 draw with Al Shabab on Wednesday night, which secured the etisalat League title for the Dubai side.

Al Jazeera's coach Ladislau Boloni was angry that his team were unable to delay the outcome of the match in this decisive game.

He severely criticised international referee Ali Ahmed and his assistants.

He said: "Referees harmed us a lot in this season. The referee helped Al Shabab in this game and affected the performance of our players, the game's technical level and fans' mood," he said.

"We did not see a great display of football by Al Shabab and the referee should learn a lot in order to be able to manage a soccer game. How can he give three minutes injury time in the second half? The Al Shabab goalkeeper disrupted the game for a long time," he added.

He said the referee's role had an impact on the match.

Salih Bashir, Al Jazeera's defender, said Al Shabab deserve the title, pointing to the club's consistency as a key factor in them winning the trophy. "We could not take advantage of Al Shabab's stumbling in some games, but I think Al Shabab deserves the title," he said.

Mohammed Thani Al Rumaithi, Chairman of Al Jazeera Club, revealed that his club will not renew the contract of Romanian coach Boloni when it finishes at the end of the season. He added that the club is currently looking for his replacement.

Al Rumaithi also said that the club is keen to support the team with signing a number of local and foreign players. "We wanted to win the league title and worked for that. But this is football. We congratulate Al Shabab, who won the title after playing excellent games."

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