Marius Șumudică, scandal right at the debut match » Altercation with the opponent's star of millions
Article by Cosmin Nistor – Published Saturday, January 10, 2026 23:20 / Updated Sunday, January 11, 2026 00:40
Marius Șumudică had an explosive debut on Al Akhdoud's bench. The Romanian coach was the protagonist of a scandal immediately after the final whistle lost match with Al Ahli, score 0-1in the 14th stage of the Saudi Arabian championship.
On the way out to the stadium tunnel, footage posted on social media captured a tense moment between Šumudica and Ivan Toney, who scored the winning goal and was a former Premier League striker at Brentford and Newcastle.
PHOTO. Scandal after the final whistle! Marius Șumudica, nervous at Ivan Toney
The decisive goal of the game was scored by Ivan Toney in the 58th minute, and immediately after the end, the Romanian technician had an extremely heated discussion with the Englishman.
The conflict continued after the final whistle and the situation became so tense that Ibanez, the Brazilian defender of the visitors, a former player of Roma and Atalanta, had to run to separate the two.
Even after Toney retreated to his team-mates to celebrate the win, Šumudica continued to shout at the English striker, with footage going viral on social media.
Debut with defeat for Šumudiča
Thus, Marius Șumudică's tenure at Al Akhdoud began with a defeat, in a disputed match, marked by several VAR interventions, which contributed to the minimal difference on the table.
After this result, Al Akhdoud remains in 17th place, penultimate in the ranking, with 5 points accumulated in 12 matches. The management of the club set a clear goal for the Romanian coach: to keep the team in the first league.
Şumudică signed a contract valid until the summer, with the option of extension, to collect 600,000 euros, an amount that can increase by another 150,000 euros in the case of saving from relegation.
Fourth experience in Saudi Arabia
For Marius Șumudică, this is the fourth adventure in Saudi Arabia. The Romanian technician also trained Al Shabab (2018-2019, 2022) and Al Raed (2022-2023).
In his international career, Şumudica also coached in the United Arab Emirates, at Al-Shabab, and in Turkey, where he visited Gaziantep (twice), Kayserispor, Rizespor and Malatyaspor. In Romania, he trained Rapid, Astra Giurgiu, CFR Cluj, Farul, U Cluj and FC Brașov, and in 2011 he also had a short experience in Greece, at Kavala.
