Conceição reveals the reason for Benzema's absence from the Al-Fateh and Al-Ittihad match
Al-Ittihad coach Conceição sparked a wave of questions and controversy in Saudi sports circles following his fiery statements after his team's thrilling 2-2 draw against Al-Fateh. These statements effectively put the onus on the club's management regarding the absence of star player Karim Benzema, the team's captain, from the match, which was part of the 19th round of the Saudi Professional League.
Details of the dramatic confrontation in Al-Ahsa
The Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi Sports City Stadium in Al-Ahsa (Al-Tamweel Stadium) witnessed a nail-biting encounter that went down to the wire. Al-Ittihad started strongly, with striker Saleh Al-Shehri opening the scoring in the 25th minute, giving the Jeddah-based club the lead. However, Al-Fateh refused to give up and managed to equalize through a penalty expertly converted by Mourad Batna in the 74th minute.
As the match drew to a close, Saleh Al-Shehri scored Al-Ittihad's second goal from the penalty spot in the 84th minute, leading everyone to believe the three points were secured for the visitors. However, the drama reached its peak in stoppage time, specifically in the 90+9th minute, when Matias Vargas scored a dramatic equalizer for Al-Fateh, leaving each team with a single point.
Conceição disclaims responsibility for the Benzema case
At the press conference following the match, a journalist directly asked the coach about Karim Benzema's absence. Conceição's response was brief and sharp: "You should ask the club about Karim Benzema." He added, clarifying the limits of his authority: "I'm here to coach, prepare for the matches, achieve results, and win titles. The rest is outside my job.".
Despite the challenging tone towards the management, the coach was keen to praise the player, saying: “What I can say is that Karim is an excellent professional player, and a wonderful player whom I am proud to coach,” indicating that the dispute between the coach and the player is not technical, but may be purely administrative.
General context and importance of the event
These statements come at a sensitive time for Al-Ittihad, as the team is suffering from inconsistent results that have led to its decline in the league standings. Karim Benzema, the Ballon d'Or winner, is considered the cornerstone of Al-Ittihad's current project, and any absence from him is causing concern among fans and the international media, which are following the Saudi league with increasing interest.
This situation reflects the immense pressure on the top clubs in the Roshan League, where the competition extends beyond the pitch to include managing international stars and handling complex administrative matters. Observers fear this administrative and technical strain could negatively impact the team's performance for the remainder of the season, especially given their distance from the top positions.
It is worth noting that this draw raised Al-Ittihad’s tally to 31 points, settling in sixth place, a position that does not satisfy the ambitions of “Al-Ameed” fans, while Al-Fateh’s tally reached 22 points in ninth place, continuing to secure its position in the safe zone of the standings.
