Adnan Jastaniah

Whisper of Truth

Neither Royal nor 9 League titles... Not even for 'Mending Feelings'!

July 15, 2026 - 00:16 | Last update July 15, 2026 - 00:16

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I am not in a dispute with Al-Ahli club, nor with its fans whom I hold in high regard, nor with its history which remains part of Saudi sports history. But it is our right, indeed our duty, to firmly stand against some media associated with it when they exceed the bounds of sports fanaticism to tampering with facts, distorting history, and repeating narratives unsupported by any document or evidence.

- All means of dialogue have been tried. Articles were written, documents highlighted, references reviewed, and historians and researchers spoke, hoping that appealing to the truth would be enough to end this debate. However, what happened was the exact opposite; the insistence on repeating the same narrative increased, as if repetition could turn error into truth.

- The problem is not in differing viewpoints, as that is a legitimate right, but in confiscating historical facts and questioning the efforts of men who spent many years documenting Saudi sports history and produced works that have become authoritative references. It is unfortunate that this scientific effort is met with campaigns of doubt based on no document, and offering not a single piece of evidence to build upon, but rather 'fan outbursts' that participate, encourage, and support the distortion of history and mislead public opinion.

- Among the most prominent examples is the number of league championships. After everyone for decades dealt with league titles according to a clear and specific classification, some emerged demanding an increase from three titles to nine, by counting regional championships as part of the league record, despite their different nature, system, and organization. Regardless of differing opinions, changing names does not change facts, and respect for history requires distinguishing between competitions, not merging them to appease one side or another as a kind of 'mending feelings,' similar to what happened in a case concerning their club with the Lion of Al-Shabab, where they distributed accusations against the then-president of Al-Shabab and everyone who stood supporting the truth, rejecting tampering with the regulations, until justice came through an official statement documenting a violation by Al-Ahli's management that could have led to their relegation had it not been for that apology included in the statement and a case of 'mending feelings' referred to by Turki Al-Sheikh in a televised statement.

- The same applies to the title 'Royal,' which has historically been associated with Real Madrid for known reasons. Locally, an official statement was issued by the Saudi Football Federation during the tenure of its former president, Adel Ezzat, known for his Al-Ahli leanings, banning the use of this title. Nevertheless, it continued to be used in the stands and in some media platforms, as if regulatory decisions apply to everyone except those who can impose a fait accompli under the heading of 'mending feelings.'

- It did not stop at imaginary championships, misappropriated titles, and fabricated chants, but extended to reinterpreting documented historical events and attempting to fabricate alternative narratives that cannot withstand the evidence. We saw that in the talk about Al-Ahli's relegation, and in the controversy raised about the 8-2 match, and other incidents that some tried to present differently, even though history is not written by distorting facts.

- Since their argument was weak, questioning the historians became easier than discussing what they wrote, and attacking the owners of documents became a substitute for responding to the documents themselves. This is not a professional media practice, but a style that opens the door to historical chaos that everyone pays for, not just a particular club.

- Here I do not hide my surprise at the continued silence of some relevant authorities, despite the fact that protecting sports history is a shared responsibility, and leaving the field to those who tamper with facts gives the impression that any narrative can become true if it is repeated enough.

- Defending history is not a defense of the federation, nor of Al-Hilal, nor of Al-Nassr, nor of Al-Ahli, but a defense of Saudi sports memory, and of the right of future generations to read history as it happened, not as fanatics wanted it to be.

- I say it clearly: I am not against any club, and we are not guardians of history, but we reject that lies become a viewpoint full of flattery and distortion, that repetition becomes a means to confiscate facts, and that silence continues under the pretext of courtesy under the heading of 'mending feelings.'

- With all clarity and frankness, sports history is not written by the loudest, nor does the most distorted narrative prevail; the final word remains with the document, the truth, and with those who respect the audience's mind before addressing their emotions.

- Last but not least, true is the saying: 'Noise may create fame, and fanaticism may create a following, but it will not create history, because history only recognizes the truth.'