Hilal Brazilian coach Ricardo Ferreira has accused Senegalese referee Badara Diatta of being the main cause for the 2-0 defeat suffered by the Sudanese team at the hands of Ahli in the CAF Champions League group stage game on Sunday. The African champions needed an 85th minute goal from Angola's Flavio Amado to break the deadlock, followed by another from Osama Hosni, but Ferreira questioned the validity of Flavio's crucial strike. Flavio executed a world class finish to hit the net, but he was suspicious of pushing Hilal defender Ammar Ramadan in the process. "Flavio's goal was a killer, but it shouldn't have been allowed because he clearly pushed a defender to win the ball, it was a definite foul," the Hilal coach told Sudanese newspaper Al-Mshaheer. The Brazilian continued his criticism of the referee, claiming that he should have sent off Ahli striker Emad Meteb at the stroke of half-time, when the Egypt international lashed on Hilal defender Richard Justin. "The referee was lenient not to send off Meteb, I can see he deliberately kicked Justin getting no way near the ball," Ferreira added.
Flavio scored a controversial goal Ferreira conceded that missing some important players had a negative impact on the team, who had key midfielder Omar Bekheit suspended for the game, and Forward Kelechi Osunwa taken off in the second half. "I was forced to change the strategy because we missed key players in midfield, but I am confident of my team's ability when the missing men return." Ferreira seemed to be satisfied with his side's start despite the defeat, as he refused to give up on the remaining Champions League campaign. "Its not a bad start because we still have a chance of coming back, there's still a long way to go and we haven't lost the battle yet," he added. Hilal will host Tunisian side Esperance in the next round, as Ahli will visit Ivorian giants ASEC Mimosas in Abidjan.
