"I am a Muslim, alhamdulillah. Yesterday at the stadium, the chant 'whoever doesn't jump is a Muslim' was heard. I know it was aimed at the opposing team and wasn't something personal against me, but as a Muslim, it is nonetheless disrespectful and intolerable."
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) held the draw on Wednesday to determine the quarterfinal pairings, a day after announcing that the western zone playoffs that were postponed because of the war in the Middle East have been rescheduled for April 13-14 in Jeddah.
Al-Hilal have said there is "so much done" and "more to come" after Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benzema marked his arrival at the Saudi Pro League giants with a video message to fans. Benzema - the recipient of the most prestigious individual prize in football in 2022 - signed for the top-flight leaders on Monday, coinciding with Cristiano Ronaldo missing an Al-Nassr game amid reports suggesting the Portugal captain is disgruntled by his club's lack of transfer activity.