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Dubai: Shaikh Ahmad Bin Abdullah Al Thani, the Sharjah Club board chairman, congratulated Al Shabab for their 3-2 win against them in the etisalat First Division League at Sharjah Stadium on Monday night.
"We didn't play well and Al Shabab deserved to win. Our players made several mistakes which resulted in the defeat," said Shaikh Ahmad after the match.
The defeat threw Sharjah off the title race. Now they are in the fifth place with a six-point difference with leaders Al Shabab. Had Sharjah won, they would have been equal on points and stayed in title hunt.
"After losing a chance to clinch the title, we will play to win the last two matches to better our position and become second or third on the final standings," he said.
Shaikh Ahmad said the referee was not behind Sharjah's defeat. "The referee was not the reason why we lost, unlike what some people think. We have faith in our Emirati referees and we support them in their endeavour to to reach higher standards."
The Sharjah Club board chairman said he will not back a proposal to invite referees from other countries to officiate in the UAE domestic league.
Abdul Aziz Mohammad, the Sharjah team manager, however, had fire a salvo at referee Mohammad Al Jenaiby after the match. "We lost the match due to the referee's unfair decisions. He was against the Sharjah players all the time, showing the red card to two of our players. He didn't award us a penalty that could have changed the result," he said.
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