Legal expert clarifies Al-Ula club's position and Nastasic's participation – Okaz
In a remarkable legal development that has cast a shadow over the local sports scene, academic and legal advisor Dr. Hassan Radif revealed to Okaz newspaper precise details regarding the legal crisis facing Al-Ula Club, stressing that the club’s legal position is extremely critical with regard to the participation of professional player Matija Nastasic.
Dr. Radif explained in his analysis of the legal situation that the Serbian player's participation with his team was invalid from a procedural standpoint, due to his lack of legal eligibility to play the match. He pointed out that the Appeals Committee's decision was entirely consistent with the regulations and bylaws in force at the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, thus precluding any interpretations that contradict the explicit provisions of the regulations.
Administrative responsibility and application of regulations
The legal expert refuted the arguments that Al-Ula Club might rely on, specifically regarding their claim that the referee erred in recording the name of the player who received the yellow card in his report. Radif emphasized that this argument does not absolve the club of responsibility, citing paragraph (2) of Article (36) of the Disciplinary and Ethics Regulations, which stipulates the procedure for submitting match reports to clubs for review and verification after the match concludes.
He added that administrative professionalism requires clubs to activate the role of administrative and legal bodies to review official reports as soon as they are received, and not to rely entirely on what is written without scrutiny, especially in matters that entail disciplinary penalties or determine eligibility to participate in subsequent matches.
The burden of following up on colored cards
In clarifying responsibilities, Dr. Hassan Radif emphasized a crucial point stipulated in the regulations: the responsibility for recording and monitoring warnings and cards during the sports season rests directly and fundamentally with the club itself. He cited paragraph (3) of Article (36) of the Disciplinary and Ethics Regulations, which holds clubs responsible for monitoring their players' disciplinary records.
Therefore, Al-Ula Club's management should have taken the initiative to request a correction of the error in the referee's report immediately upon receiving it and before the player participated in the following match, instead of accepting the error and then later appealing to prove his eligibility. The legal opinion concluded that the Appeals Committee's decision to reject the club's appeal and uphold the penalty was correct and legally sound, as it is based on the principle that a procedural error by the referee does not absolve the club of its primary responsibility to ensure the eligibility of its players.
This incident underscores the importance of legal and administrative aspects in modern football, where the game is no longer just a competition within the green rectangle, but an integrated system that requires administrative precision and deep legal knowledge to avoid losing points due to disciplinary decisions that may affect the team's progress in local competitions.
