New Al-Nassr president takes charge as club debts revealed at $50 million

The Riyadh club has amassed debts of almost $50 million, according to a report in Arabic-language newspaper Arriydiyah. (Twitter: @AlNassrFC_EN)
Short Url
Updated 01 April 2021
Follow

New Al-Nassr president takes charge as club debts revealed at $50 million

  • Musalli Al-Muammar to oversee running of Riyadh club after former board of directors disbanded by Saudi Ministry of Sports for financial and management irregularities

Al-Nassr’s new president Musalli Al-Muammar will take charge of the club today as it emerged that the Riyadh club has amassed debts of almost $50 million (SAR 185 million), according to a report in Arabic-language newspaper Arriydiyah.

The Saudi Pro League club’s general assembly will convene on April 1 for the first time with the new president to discuss the financial report that shows the extent of the debts accumulated by the end of March 2021.

According to Arriyadiyah, the irregularities that have led to a major overhaul at the club include delayed salary payments to players, technical staff and other employees; transfer cases that have been ruled over by FIFA; dispute settlements within Saudi Arabia; and overdue payments for hotels, car companies and other sponsors.

Al-Muammar, former head of the Saudi Pro League, officially announced his candidacy last week after the Saudi Ministry of Sports removed former president Safwan Al-Suwaiket from his post and disbanded Al-Nassr’s board of directors for mismanagement of the club.

With no other candidates joining in the race, Al-Muanmar was nominated as the new president by Prince Khalid bin Fahd bin Abdulaziz, the main benefactor of the nine-time Saudi Arabia champions.

Al-Muammar and members of the new board of directors were expected to convene at the club’s headquarters today where they will address Al-Nassr’s general assembly via a Zoom link-up.

In February, Al-Nassr, currently fifth in the league with six games of Saudi Pro League season remaining, was hit with a three-window transfer ban by FIFA after failing to pay Galatasaray the required transfer fee for Brazilian star Maicon Pereria Roque, although a subsequent payment would could see that suspension lifted.

The club was later involved in an alleged racism row between Hussein Abdulghani, a member of Al-Nassr’s coaching staff, and Al-Shabab’s Brazilian winger Sebastian Junior in a SPL fixture.

Among the six violations declared by the Ministry of Sports was the club’s failure to deal with resignations in the usual manner, running a budget deficit outside the parameters set by sporting authorities, publishing official decisions without holding board meetings to discuss them, and the president failing to respond to the ministry’s request for documentation.


Dubai Basketball with statement win in Paris

Updated 5 sec ago
Follow

Dubai Basketball with statement win in Paris

  • A dominant 99-79 win sealed a strong 3-match stint on the road

DUBAI: Dubai Basketball capped off a demanding three-game road stretch in emphatic fashion, delivering a dominant 99-79 victory over Paris Basketball in Round 24 of the EuroLeague last night. The win marked Dubai’s second victory from three away fixtures across EuroLeague and ABA League play, while also preserving the club’s unbeaten record in the ABA League.

Facing Paris at Adidas Arena, Dubai produced one of its most complete performances of the season. From the opening minutes, the visitors imposed their authority at both ends of the floor, controlling tempo, disrupting Paris offensively, and steadily extending their advantage as the game progressed. The victory improved Dubai Basketball’s EuroLeague record to 11–13.

The Paris result followed a narrow EuroLeague defeat just days earlier in Barcelona, where Dubai pushed one of Europe’s elite sides to the final seconds in a thrilling 91:89 loss at Palau Blaugrana. Despite trailing entering the fourth quarter, Dubai mounted a remarkable comeback to level the game late, showcasing resilience in a hostile environment. McKinley Wright IV delivered a career-high 29 points in that contest, while the game also marked the EuroLeague return of Dzanan Musa following injury.

Dubai’s road trip began on Jan. 17 with a commanding 110-93 win over U-BT Cluj-Napoca in Round 15 of the ABA League. In front of a packed arena, Dubai pulled away late to secure the victory and maintain a perfect league record. Kabengele and Wright led the scoring with 24 points apiece, while Musa made a timely impact in the fourth quarter during his return from a three-month absence.

Across three challenging away fixtures in six days, Dubai Basketball claimed two road victories, remained unbeaten in ABA League competition, and reinforced its ability to compete consistently across multiple fronts, closing the stretch with a statement performance in Paris that highlighted the team’s growing presence on the European stage.

On Jan. 26, the team will take on Serbian side FMP in front of home fans at Coca-Cola Arena as their “invincible” attempt continues with a 13-0 run.