Jack Hendry has been caught up in a major controversy in Saudi Arabia.
The former Celtic defender, now in his third season at Al-Ettifaq, was up against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr on Wednesday evening.
Ronaldo’s side are at the centre of said controversy after players and staff from title rivals Al-Ahli accused referees of bias towards him and his team.
Now, Hendry’s sending off has triggered a reaction in the country, with rival fans viewing it as further evidence of referee bias.
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Ex-Celtic man Jack Hendry’s controversial red card for elbow on Joao Felix
With Ettifaq chasing an equaliser in the final stages of the game, Hendry charges forward from the backline towards the final third.
Ex-Chelsea, Atletico Madrid and AC Milan star Felix moves to intercept him, but the Scotland international’s high arm makes contact with his face – clip via Thmanyah Sports.
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The extent of this contact, and whether or not it constitutes ‘violent conduct’ for an elbow, is seemingly up for debate.
Hendry is quickly given his marching orders, and the referee is not sent to the monitor. It’s the fourth red card of the 30-year-old’s career.
The result put Al-Nassr eight points clear at the top of the league. The conspiracy claims in the country are fuelled by the fact that Ronaldo is yet to win a single domestic trophy since moving to Saudi Arabia over three years ago.
Hendry is teammates with Hoops hero Moussa Dembele at Ettifaq. Earlier this month, they faced local rivals Al-Qadsiah, managed by Brendan Rodgers.
In a perfectly scripted sequence of events, Dembele and Hendry both scored against Rodgers’ side, inflicting the Irishman’s first defeat at the club.
Hendry has 36 caps for Scotland, having made his international debut in March 2018, two months after moving to Celtic.
It’s fair to say that it didn’t quite happen for him in Hoops, but he went on to have a successful career in Belgium with KV Oostende and Club Brugge.
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Jack Hendry on ‘coming on leaps and bounds’ in Saudi Arabia
Speaking about his Saudi experience to The Herald earlier this season, Hendry said: “I think if anyone gets the opportunity to go abroad and have these types of experiences, then I can only say that it should definitely be something that they should be taking.
“Then once you do it you need to properly buy into it and grasp it because for sure it will only help your career.
“I’ve embraced the country and the culture. I do really enjoy it out here [Saudi]. I’ve had numerous offers since I’ve been here and chosen to stay.
“My contract is up at the end of the season. They [Al-Ettifaq] are working behind the scenes to extend that or to put a proposal on the table that would make me stay longer.”
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