Tuesday’s AFC Champions League Elite semifinal between Japan’s Machida Zelvia and the United Arab Emirates’ Shabab Al Ahli ended in chaos, with frustrations running high for the latter over their elimination from the continent’s top club tournament.
Following a 1-0 defeat, Shabab Al Ahli were adamant their last-minute equalizer should have counted, which would have sent the match into extra time, as it was disallowed in the 92nd minute.
The U.A.E side immediately confronted referee Shaun Evans, and his exit from the pitch required police assistance due to the furious Shabab Al Ahli players surrounding him.
In an unprecedented turn of events, VAR was invoked due to a substitution, leading Evans to overturn his initial decision to allow Guilherme Bala‘s spectacular goal.
What sparked the discontent?
After what appeared to be their final substitution, Machida quickly approached Evans as Shabab Al Ahli resumed play from a throw-in, though their intentions remained unclear at first.
Shabab Al Ahli progressed the ball across the field, with Bala embarking on a stunning 40-yard run, eluding two defenders before scoring in the far corner.
Celebrations erupted in the Shabab Al Ahli camp, but Machida immediately renewed their appeals to Evans.
When VAR stepped in to review, the situation became clearer. As Machida’s Hotaka Nakamura remained on the pitch, briefly conversing with his substitute Henry Heroki Mochizuki, Shabab Al Ahli’s Kauan Santos had already thrown the ball back into play.
The situation was a matter of inches; Nakamura was nearly off the field with one foot on the touchline, just as Mochizuki sprinted onto the pitch.
Evans initially seemed to overlook the timing due to its minuscule nature, adhering to the regulations which state play need not wait for complete readiness post-substitution.
Machida would defend their stance by highlighting that they were not adequately prepared for the restart, particularly as Mochizuki was expected to take up a position on the same flank where Bala scored.
However, even if it had been a legal restart, it’s questionable whether Mochizuki would have made it to his intended position in time, since he still had to cover the entire width of the field. When Bala’s shot found the net, Mochizuki was only just entering the box, filling the space left by captain Gen Shoji.
It’s worth noting that teams are not required to wait for opponents to be fully positioned after substitutions. In theory, Bala could have scored even if Shabab Al Ahli had delayed the restart. Nonetheless, the fact remains they chose not to.
The timing is crucial; Evans’ whistle to resume play was barely discernible against Santos’ throw-in, making it difficult to ascertain the exact sequence of events in real time.
This situation is speculative, but it’s possible Evans, wanting to expedite the game due to Machida’s delayed substitution, opted to allow play to continue.
Thus, when VAR called for an on-field review, it was possibly due to an incident initiated by Evans himself. Even if he did restart play too soon because Machida was taking their time, he might have had valid grounds to maintain his initial decision.
After all, there is no rule mandating both teams must have 11 players on the field for the match to continue. Such numerical discrepancies happen frequently in situations involving injuries.
Predictably, Shabab Al Ahli coach Paulo Sousa, who left his technical area after the annulled goal, was visibly upset after the match.
“There was a goal scored that was then canceled—this is a significant error by the referee,” Sousa stated. “Football is becoming chaotic due to such mistakes. It was a big error to appoint this referee for this match.”
“What saddens me is that the organization [the Asian Football Confederation] selected referees who aren’t fit for the caliber of this tournament, or the players and coaches involved.”
“We deserved a spot in the final, and we deserved the chance to compete in this important match.”
Unfortunately, the outcome cannot be altered. Machida will advance to Saturday’s final—an incredible achievement, given that they were only in Japan’s second tier of football as recently as 2023.
Nonetheless, Shabab Al Ahli are justifiably frustrated not to have at least had the opportunity for extra time, or penalty shootouts, to fight for their victory.
Once again, VAR has stirred controversy, but perhaps this marks the first instance involving a substitution.