The Sudanese club was knocked out after losing 1–0 in the second leg played on Sunday, March 24, 2026, at Amahoro Stadium, resulting in a 2–1 aggregate defeat. The club has been playing its “home” matches at the Amahoro Stadium in Kigali due to the ongoing civil war in Sudan.
In a strongly worded complaint, Al Hilal accused both the central referee and the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) official of responsibility for the loss, alleging bias in favour of their opponents.
“Al Hilal Club has sent a protest to CAF against the refereeing team of its match against RS Berkane. The club considers that the main referee and the VAR official were responsible for the defeat due to bias in favour of the opponent,” the statement reads.
The club further questioned the competence of the officiating team, stating that it had previously requested the appointment of experienced, qualified and credible referees to handle high-stakes matches, in order to safeguard the integrity of competition and respect teams’ preparations.
According to the complaint, those concerns were not addressed, with Al Hilal arguing that a referee lacking sufficient experience was instead appointed. The club also accused the VAR official of being complicit, describing the decisions made during the match as “catastrophic” and directly influencing the outcome.
Al Hilal supported its protest with video evidence highlighting what it described as major refereeing errors. These include a controversial incident in which a penalty was awarded against its defender following a VAR review. The club maintains that the footage shows the opposing attacker raising his foot onto the defender, causing injury and forcing the Al Hilal player off the pitch, yet the referee still awarded what it termed a non-existent penalty.
The club also raised concerns over the application of VAR, arguing that its use in the incident violated Article 5 of the protocol, which states that VAR should not be applied once play has restarted. It further criticised the amount of stoppage time added, saying it did not reflect the actual time lost during reviews and interruptions.
Al Hilal additionally expressed frustration over what it described as CAF’s continued disregard of its previous complaints regarding refereeing, warning that such inaction risks enabling unfair decisions.
Based on its submission and the accompanying video evidence, the club has called for an immediate investigation, urging CAF to take action to protect the integrity of the competition and ensure justice is served.
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