SAFF condemns 'disgraceful' attack by fan on Al Ittihad's Abderrazak Hamdallah

The Saudi Arabian Football Federation has vowed to review its fan code of conduct after a "disgraceful" attack in which a spectator whipped an Al Ittihad player following a match in Abu Dhabi last week.

The incident occurred on Thursday evening following Al Ittihad's 4-1 Saudi Super Cup final defeat to domestic rivals Al Hilal at Mohamed bin Zayed Stadium.

Footage on social media shows Al Ittihad striker Abderrazak Hamdallah, a Moroccan, involved in a heated exchange – and flinging water at – a fan in the stands, who then strikes Hamdallah with what appears to be a whip.

The footage shows stadium security, spectators and players intervening to separate the fan and Hamdallah.

Hamdallah scored in the 21st minute but his team went on to lose 4-1.

The SAFF and Football Players Association of Saudi Arabia said in a statement at the weekend they were "shocked with the disgraceful scenes involving a physical attack by an individual spectator on a member of the team from Al Ittihad Club" and that their priority was to ensure the safety of everyone at matches.

"Football in Saudi Arabia is a family game and, thankfully, fan disorder is extremely rare. It's why the actions of this 'so called' fan go against all that Saudi football represents and we completely condemn the incident," said the statement.

"There will be a thorough review of the spectator code of conduct. The review will ensure updated rules and regulations are put in place to swiftly and effectively impose suitable penalties to help avoid any repeat of such incidents."

The governing bodies said that even though the match took place outside Saudi Arabia, they “stand united in their commitment to prioritise safety and well-being at stadiums and will keep implementing