A cup final in Saudi Arabia just had one of the most bizarre and disturbing fan-player interactions you will ever see.
Following Saudi Arabia’s Super Cup final between Saudi League giants Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad on Thursday — a match that saw Al-Hilal completely dominate Al-Ittihad with a 4-1 scoreline — a fan evidently upset with his club’s performance on the pitch and eager to protest the loss to Al-Ittihad, assaulted a player with a whip from the stands. Yes, this actually happened.
Saudi League fan whips Al-Ittihad player Hamdallah following Super Cup final
Moments after the referee blew the final whistle, crowning Al-Hilal as 2024 Super Cup champions, Al-Ittihad player Abderrazak Hamdallah made his way onto his team’s bench, leading a fan sitting nearby to whinge to the player about the loss.
Hamdallah, unhappy with their reaction, threw water directly at the fan, causing the fan to do the unthinkable and assault the player with a whip from the stands. Not once, but twice.
Witness the sequence as it happened:
Crazy scenes as an Al Hilal supporter lashes out at Al Ittihad striker Abderrazak Hamdallah following yesterday's Saudi Super Cup match.#SportDm #SuperCup #AlHilal
pic.twitter.com/w9n33oUhKO— Sport Dm (@Sport__Dm) April 12, 2024
Disgusting scenes.
Hamdullah, a 2022 World Cup participant with Morocco, was held back by teammates and staff following the assault. The 33-year-old striker also scored the only goal for Al-Ittihad in the final.
Abderrazak Hamdallah misses the penalty but scores the rebound & it’s 1-1!
— Al Nassr Zone (@TheNassrZone) April 11, 2024
The fan, on the other hand, was escorted by security away from the scene.
According to to the Saudi newspaper Ariyadhiah Ajel, the altercation is to remain away from any lawsuits after “Moroccan star Abdel Razzaq Hamdallah waived his private right from the fan in the stick incident, officially before the police, and the fan also drops any legal claim, while the public right in the incident remains.”
Al-Ittihad nor tournament organizers have commented on the incident.
