The Disciplinary Committee fines Jesus 50,000 riyals in favor of Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad
The Saudi Arabian Football Federation's Disciplinary and Ethics Committee issued a formal and decisive ruling after 53 days of deliberations, imposing a fine of 50,000 Saudi Riyals on Al-Nassr coach Jorge Jesus. This decision came in response to an official complaint filed by Al-Hilal, which accused the coach of serious disciplinary violations related to his media statements.
Details of the penalty and disciplinary decision
The committee explained in its decision that the coach had violated Article (50-4) of the Disciplinary and Ethics Regulations. The decision was based on the coach's defamatory statements, accusations, and media attacks against Al-Hilal Club, in addition to inciting public opinion. The financial penalty was divided into two parts: the coach was required to pay 30,000 riyals to the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, and 20,000 riyals to Al-Hilal Club to cover the complaint filing fees, after the committee accepted the complaint in both form and substance.
Context of the incident and legal violation
The details of the incident date back to the press conference held by Jesus before the match between Al-Shabab and Al-Nassr on January 16, 2026, as part of the Saudi Professional League for the 2025-2026 season. The committee considered that the statements made by the coach at that time exceeded the limits of permissible criticism and entered the realm of abuse and incitement of the fans, which is contrary to the spirit of sportsmanship and the principles of fair competition that the Saudi League seeks to establish globally.
Legal opinion and discretionary power
In a legal commentary on the decision, Saud Al-Rumman, a legal consultant specializing in sports law, confirmed to the Okaz newspaper that the issued penalty is fully compliant with the regulations. Al-Rumman explained that the incident falls under the category of "inciting public opinion through the media," an offense punishable by a maximum fine of 100,000 riyals, according to the aforementioned article.
Al-Rumman added: “Imposing a fine of 50,000 riyals falls within the correct legal scope, and reflects the committee’s use of its discretionary power in determining the size of the penalty in proportion to the seriousness of the violation, as it did not exceed the maximum limit stipulated, which protects the decision from a legal and procedural standpoint.”.
The importance of the decision in regulating the sports scene
This decision comes at a time when Saudi football is witnessing tremendous development and unprecedented global attention, which increases the responsibility of the Disciplinary Committee to regulate media statements and prevent any transgressions that could negatively affect the image of the competition. These penalties serve as a clear message to all technical and administrative personnel in the clubs about the necessity of adhering to regulations and refraining from exploiting media platforms to insult rivals or incite fanaticism, in order to preserve a healthy competitive sporting environment.
