Brazilian striker Marcos Leonardo, of Al-Hilal's first football team, has sparked a major crisis within the club by making a sudden and unexpected decision regarding his exclusion from the team's local roster during the current winter transfer window. This decision comes amidst significant changes at Al-Hilal following the signing of French star Karim Benzema, who was officially registered in place of Leonardo in the Saudi Professional League.

Sources within the club confirmed that Marcus Leonardo is furious, having categorically rejected the idea of ​​being sidelined and limited to the Asian Champions League. The sources indicated that the player has urgently instructed his agent to find him an offer from abroad as soon as possible, rejecting the compromise proposed by club officials to register him in the Asian squad as compensation for his exclusion from domestic competitions.

These developments come amidst the challenges facing major Saudi clubs regarding their foreign player rosters. The Saudi Arabian Football Federation imposes a quota on foreign professionals, presenting technical and administrative staff with difficult choices when signing new international stars. The decision to replace a promising young player like Leonardo with a seasoned star like Karim Benzema reflects Al-Hilal's desire to bolster the team's experience to compete for all titles, but it has clashed with the Brazilian player's ambition for consistent playing time.

In a related development, reports revealed that Marcus Leonardo was very close to joining Atletico Madrid during the last winter transfer window, with advanced negotiations taking place between the two parties. However, the deal fell through at the last minute after the Spanish club withdrew, leaving the player in Riyadh before the current crisis erupted.

It's worth noting that Al-Hilal caused a major stir in the winter transfer window by signing Karim Benzema from Al-Ittihad on a free transfer, after reaching a comprehensive agreement on all financial and contractual details. Al-Hilal fans are now waiting to learn the final fate of Marcos Leonardo, and whether the management will succeed in convincing him to stay for continental competitions, or if he will leave the club in search of regular playing time in European or Latin American leagues.

The stadiums of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia witnessed a busy football day within the competitions of the twenty-first round of the Yellow League for First Division clubs for the 2025-2026 sports season, where the intensity of the competition increased, whether in the race to snatch the promotion cards to the Roshan Professional League, or in the struggle to escape the specter of relegation to the Second Division League.

Abha continues its solo performance

In the most notable match of the round, Abha continued their impressive run this season, securing a well-deserved and tactically astute 2-0 victory over Al-Zulfi. This win not only earned Abha three points but also solidified their position at the top of the table with 54 points, widening the gap with their pursuers and reaffirming their strong determination to return to the top flight. Meanwhile, Al-Zulfi remain on 25 points in eleventh place, a relatively comfortable but precarious position in the middle of the table.

Al-Diriyah dominates, fierce competition for second place ensues

Al-Diriyah sent a strong message to all their rivals after delivering one of their best performances of the season, crushing Al-Jandal 4-0 away from home. This resounding victory propelled Al-Diriyah to second place with 46 points, igniting the battle for direct promotion. Meanwhile, the heavy defeat dealt a blow to Al-Jandal's morale, leaving them in 14th place with 21 points, dangerously close to the relegation zone.

Excitement in Al-Ula and Hail

In Hafr Al-Batin, Al-Ula deepened the wounds of their host, Al-Batin, by defeating them with a clean goal in a tactical match, raising Al-Ula’s tally to 43 points in third place, strongly competing for promotion tickets, while Al-Batin’s historic suffering this season continued as they remained in second-to-last place with only 8 points.

In Hail, Al-Jabalain capitalized on home advantage and the support of their fans to defeat Al-Bukairiyah 2-1, raising their points tally to 39 in fifth place and keeping their hopes alive in the competition, while Al-Bukairiyah's points tally remained at 33 in sixth place.

Arabism and the exciting comeback

The match between Al-Jubail and Al-Orouba was a thriller, featuring dramatic twists and turns that ended with Al-Orouba winning 3-2. This valuable victory raised Al-Orouba's points tally to 43, placing them fourth (tied with Al-Ula), while Al-Jubail's situation worsened as they remained at the bottom of the table with 8 points.

The context of the competition and the importance of the Yellow League

These results are of paramount importance given the significant development of the Yelo League, which has garnered widespread public and media attention as the main gateway to the Saudi Professional League (SPL), a league that has captured global attention. The fierce competition at the top of the table between Abha, Al-Diriyah, Al-Ula, and Al-Orouba reflects the clubs' strong desire to compete among the elite, especially with the substantial support provided by the Ministry of Sports and the Saudi Arabian Football Federation to develop the infrastructure and technical level of First Division clubs, in line with the Kingdom's Vision 2030 goals for the sports sector.

Asian football fans, and specifically Al-Ittihad fans, are turning their attention to the stadium where the anticipated match will take place, as the outlines of the Portuguese coach Sergio Conceicao’s lineup for the Saudi Al-Ittihad club have emerged, in preparation for the tough match against their Qatari counterpart Al-Gharafa in the AFC Champions League.

Al-Ittihad will host Qatari side Al-Gharafa on Tuesday evening in a crucial match as part of the seventh round of the group stage of the prestigious continental tournament, which this season features a new format and fierce competition among Asia's top clubs. Al-Ittihad will be looking to capitalize on home advantage in Jeddah to secure a victory and a higher position in the group standings.

Al-Ittihad's expected lineup against Al-Gharafa

Based on recent training sessions and the technical vision of Portuguese coach Conceição, Al-Ittihad is expected to enter the match with a formation that combines defensive solidity with a powerful attacking force. The expected names are as follows:

• Goalkeeper: Predrag Rajkovic.
• Defense line: Muhannad Al-Shanqiti – Danilo Pereira – Hassan Kadash – Mario Mitai.
• Midfield: Hamed Al-Ghamdi – Fabinho – Doumbia.
• Attack line: Houssem Aouar – Youssef En-Nesyri – Roger Fernandez.

The importance of the match and the context of the continental competition

This match takes on special significance given the nature of the competition in this year's AFC Champions League, where Al-Ittihad seeks to reaffirm the dominance of Saudi clubs on the continent and move closer to reclaiming the Asian title. Coach Conceição is relying on the experience of his international players, such as Brazilian Fabinho to control the midfield, the goal-scoring prowess of Moroccan Youssef En-Nesyri up front, and the technical skills of Algerian Houssem Aouar.

On the other hand, Al-Gharafa of Qatar is not an easy opponent, as the team has high ambitions to present a positive image of Qatari football at this continental tournament. Historically, matches between Saudi and Qatari clubs are characterized by competitiveness and excitement, promising a high-level tactical encounter between the two sides.

Winning this match not only means collecting the three points, but also represents a huge morale boost for the team before entering the crucial stages of the season, both locally and continentally, which places a great responsibility on the selected players to give their best and please the large number of Al-Ittihad fans expected to attend.