Al Nassr receive legal backing after Al Wasl postponement in AFC Champions League Elite

The Asian Football Confederation has faced further criticism after postponing Al Nassr’s AFC Champions League Elite match against Al Wasl, with a former Saudi Arabian Football Federation disciplinary chief claiming the decision was not supported by any regulation or legal provision.

Al Nassr were due to host the United Arab Emirates club on Monday, but the continental governing body announced that the fixture would be rearranged. It said the new date and kick-off time would be confirmed in due course, without providing a replacement date.

Dr Ayman Al-Rifai, a legal adviser and former chairman of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation’s Discipline and Ethics Committee, said the decision was too general and unclear.

“The decision issued by the Asian Football Confederation is not based on any regulation or legal text; instead, it was general and ambiguous,” Al-Rifai told Saudi newspaper Al Riyadiyah.

“Secondly, all the circumstances were suitable for staging the match in every respect, and there was nothing preventing it from being played.”

Al-Rifai said any decision by a club not to play had to be covered by the competition’s regulations. He argued there was no provision supporting Al Wasl’s decision to request that the game be called off.

“Thirdly, not playing the match, or a team refusing to play it, must fall within the regulations governing the competition,” he said. “There is no provision supporting Al Wasl’s position in seeking an apology [for not playing].”

“What is even more serious is that the Asian Football Confederation agreed to the postponement without notifying the other team or consulting the body responsible for organising the match and assessing the current circumstances.”

He also pointed to recent developments that he said indicated the conditions were suitable for the fixture to go ahead, including the staging of a round of the Roshn Saudi League the previous week and the return of air travel to normal.

Al-Rifai said Al Nassr’s legal position was strong, while adding that the Saudi Arabian Football Federation had offered its full support and was prepared to provide evidence backing the club’s case.

“Al Nassr’s position is largely lawful, especially since the Saudi Arabian Football Federation has shown complete readiness to support the club and provide everything that proves the validity of its position,” he said.

However, he accused the Asian Football Confederation of a repeated pattern of negative and unfair treatment towards Saudi clubs.

“We have seen how Al Nassr was wronged in its recent case with Persepolis, as well as Al Hilal in the matter of completing its squad,” Al-Rifai said.

He added that the Asian Football Confederation had failed to consider several issues, including Al Nassr’s right to prove that a Persepolis player’s participation was ineligible, postponing Al Hilal’s match so it could complete its squad, and applying the principle of force majeure in light of the surrounding circumstances.