Details of Al-Ittihad's protest against Al-Nassr regarding Abdullah Al-Hamdan's participation
In a significant development following the 21st round of the Saudi Professional League, Al-Ittihad's management has escalated the matter legally by filing an official protest with the relevant authorities at the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, challenging the eligibility of player Abdullah Al-Hamdan to play for his new team, Al-Nassr. This administrative move comes after the match between the two teams at Al-Ittihad's home ground, Al-Ittihad Park, in Riyadh, which ended in a 2-0 victory for Al-Nassr.
Details of the federal protest
Al-Ittihad's legal department based its official memorandum on a legal loophole concerning the remaining term of the player's contract with his former club, Al-Hilal. According to sources, the protest rests on the fact that six days remained on the player's original contract before he unilaterally terminated it and transferred to Al-Nassr. Al-Ittihad considers this a clear violation of professional regulations and player status laws, which, in their view, warrants declaring Al-Nassr the loser of the match and deducting the three points.
Competition context and points impact
This issue takes on added significance given the two teams' positions in the standings. With this victory, Al-Nassr boosted their points tally to 49, securing second place and continuing their pursuit of the top spot, while Al-Ittihad's points remained at 34, leaving them in seventh place – a position unbecoming of the club's history and the ambitions of its fans. Therefore, accepting the protest could dramatically alter the balance of power, not only by awarding Al-Ittihad three valuable points that could propel them up the table, but also by deducting significant points from Al-Nassr, potentially hindering their title aspirations.
The legal and historical dimensions of the protests
Historically, Saudi football has witnessed numerous similar cases where match results were decided off the pitch by the Disciplinary and Ethics Committee. The integrity of player registration procedures and the timing of transfers are among the most sensitive issues in the regulations of both FIFA and the Saudi Arabian Football Federation. Eligibility to participate is typically determined based on the timing of registration in the Transfer Matching System (TMS) and the validity of financial and legal settlements. This type of protest brings to mind previous cases that sparked widespread controversy in the sports community, placing significant pressure on sports judicial committees to ensure the accuracy of the regulations.
Expected local impact
This issue is expected to generate widespread controversy in the media and among the public in the coming days, as everyone awaits the Disciplinary Committee's decision. If the protest is accepted, the result will be recorded as 3-0 in favor of Al-Ittihad, which would constitute an administrative earthquake within Al-Nassr and a huge morale boost for Al-Ittihad. However, if the protest is rejected, the result will stand, confirming the legality of Al-Nassr's management's position regarding its recent contracts.
