DUBAI: The Dispute Resolution Chamber at the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) has issued five rulings requiring two Saudi Pro League teams and three from the First Division to clear outstanding dues to former players and managers.
In the highest profile case, top division side Al-Shabab FC were ordered to pay their former goalkeeper Waleed Abdullah SAR 670,708 ($178,837) in settlement of outstanding dues to the player.
Abdullah had swapped Al-Shabab for their Riyadh rivals Al-Nassr in a free transfer in February 2017, taking advantage of the Bosman rule, which allows players to negotiate a transfer and sign a pre-contract without the consent of their current club, provided they are in the final six months of their contract, which was the case for Abdullah at Al-Shabab.
However, the Saudi international was eager to bring forward his move across the city, and bought out the remainder of his contract at Al-Shabab, joining Al-Nassr in February 2017 on an initial five-months amateur contract before signing a three-year deal worth SAR 12 million the following summer.
Al-Shabab were ordered to pay the SAFF disciplinary committee SAR 33,535 in legal fees as well as a SAR 5,000 fine. The club will have the chance to appeal the decision at the Saudi Sport Arbitration Center and will be given 30 days to settle the payment should the appeals committee uphold the ruling.
The 71-times Saudi international had filed a complaint against his former club, demanding outstanding wages predating the duration of his contract bought out.
Saudi Pro League bottom half side Al-Batin were hit with a fine of SAR 5,000 and were ordered to pay SAR 569,000 in overdue wages for their former coach Khaled Al-Qoruni. The Sky Blues were also ordered to pay SAR 28,450 in legal fees. The club is also set to pay coach Nehari Al-Salem SAR 125,833 in outstanding wages within 30 days.
Al-Batin spokesman Mubarak Al Dhafeeri commented on the decision, confirming his side will not be lodging an appeal.
“We acknowledge Al-Qoruni’s dues, and we know this decision is right, so will not be appealing,” said Al-Dhafeeri.
“We went through some financial difficulties and thus were not able to pay him on time. But now, we have already paid 70 percent of the amount and will be paying the rest within the next month. Al-Qoruni is one of the best managers to come to our club, and the fact he filed a complaint against us will not change the special relationship between him and the club.”
Elsewhere, there were rulings against First Division sides Al-Orouba, Hajjr and Najran requiring them to pay a combined total of SAR 350,000 in outstanding dues to former players.
Al-Shabab FC and other Saudi clubs ordered to clear dues to players and managers
Al-Shabab FC and other Saudi clubs ordered to clear dues to players and managers
Hosts Morocco off to winning start at Africa Cup of Nations
- Soufiane Rahimi had a penalty saved in a frustrating first half for much-fancied Morocco
- Win saw Morocco, Africa’s best team in FIFA rankings in 11th place, to extend world-record winning run to 19 consecutive matches
RABAT: Brahim Diaz and Ayoub El-Kaabi scored second-half goals as hosts Morocco got their Africa Cup of Nations bid off to a winning start by beating minnows Comoros 2-0 in the tournament’s opening game on Sunday.
Soufiane Rahimi had a penalty saved in a frustrating first half for much-fancied Morocco, but Diaz fired home from inside the area 10 minutes after the interval at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in the capital Rabat.
Substitute El-Kaabi then got the second with a stunning overhead kick, and the victory on a wet and cold night sets the Atlas Lions up for the potentially tougher tests to come in Group A against Mali and Zambia.
The result also allowed Morocco, Africa’s best team in the FIFA rankings in 11th place, to extend their world-record winning run to 19 consecutive matches.
The game was played out before a crowd of 60,180, with Moroccan Crown Prince Moulay Hassan — who appeared on the pitch ahead of kick-off — and FIFA president Gianni Infantino among those in attendance.
Morocco’s star man and captain Achraf Hakimi also ended up watching the entire game from the bench, with coach Walid Regragui preserving the Paris Saint-Germain full-back who has not played since suffering an ankle injury with his club at the start of November.
It looked set to be a long night for Comoros when Morocco won a penalty in the 10th minute as playmaker Diaz was tripped inside the box by Iyad Mohamed.
But Rahimi’s spot-kick was kept out by the legs of Yannick Pandor as the Comoros goalkeeper dived to his right, and the visitors then succeeded in thwarting their more illustrious hosts for the remainder of the first half.
- Stunning overhead kick -
However Morocco, who also saw veteran center-back Romain Saiss come off injured early on, succeeded in breaking down their opponents after half-time.
Comoros, the tiny Indian Ocean archipelago who are 108th in the world rankings, had their resistance ended as the opening goal arrived on 55 minutes.
Manchester United’s Noussair Mazraoui, starting at right-back with Hakimi not yet quite fully fit, picked up the ball on the right side of the penalty area and squared for Real Madrid’s Spanish-born number 10 Diaz to score.
Morocco, who had seen Neil El Aynaoui almost break the deadlock just before that, then saw space open up although Comoros had a chance of their own as Rafiki Said was denied when clean through on goal.
Mazraoui forced a good save from Pandor before El-Kaabi, of Greek giants Olympiakos, lit up the occasion by meeting a cross in from the left by Anass Salah-Eddine with a magnificent overhead bicycle kick to make it 2-0.
Morocco’s next game will be on Friday against Mali, who begin their campaign by taking on Zambia in Casablanca on Monday.
Elsewhere on Monday, South Africa face Angola in Marrakech before Mohamed Salah’s Egypt — the record seven-time African champions chasing a first title since 2010 — get their bid up and running against outsiders Zimbabwe in Agadir in Group B.
This latest edition of the Cup of Nations is the first to start in one year and end in another, with the final to take place in Rabat on January 18.
