Jaraaf asks Senegal league to delay season after FIFA ban

Jaraaf have asked the Senegalese Professional Football League (LSFP) to postpone the start of the new Ligue 1 season because a FIFA transfer ban is preventing the club from registering its new players.

The Senegalese top flight is scheduled to return on 3 October after a four month break, with the LSFP having already published the fixtures and dates for the new campaign. But with only days remaining before the planned restart, Jaraaf president Cheikh Seck has formally contacted the league to request a postponement until further notice.

The request is linked to a FIFA imposed recruitment ban affecting the Medina based club. The sanction follows outstanding obligations connected to several transfer operations, including solidarity payments owed to clubs involved in the development of some of Jaraaf’s transferred players.

The ban currently prevents Jaraaf from registering its new signings. That has created a significant problem for the club, which has been active in the transfer market and has added about 10 players to its squad ahead of the new season.

Jaraaf have also appointed a new coach, with Sellé Dieng arriving from Wally Daan as part of the club’s preparations for the campaign.

Seck, who is also vice president of the Senegalese Football Federation, believes the league should not begin while Jaraaf remains unable to register its new recruits. He argues that delaying the competition would be more consistent with sporting ethics and would give the club an opportunity to resolve its administrative problems.

However, the proposal has faced strong opposition from several other Ligue 1 clubs.

Speaking to Dsports, some club presidents argued that postponing the season would create an unacceptable precedent. They say clubs have already committed substantial resources to preparing for the 3 October start.

Those preparations include spending on transfers, player salaries, training camps and other aspects of squad preparation. Some teams have already entered closed training camps in anticipation of the scheduled opening date.

For those clubs, changing the calendar because of Jaraaf’s transfer ban would mean other teams having to deal with the consequences of an issue that they were not responsible for.

“Jaraaf was sanctioned because it made a mistake. The other clubs shouldn’t have to foot the bill,” one of the presidents interviewed essentially summarized.

The issue also extends beyond Jaraaf. AS Pikine and US Gorée are facing similar transfer bans and are currently unable to register new players until their respective situations are resolved.

The LSFP must now decide whether to keep the season opener on 3 October or accept Seck’s request and delay the beginning of the competition.

The decision is expected to be closely watched, with the league facing a difficult scheduling issue before the new season has even started.

At the centre of the dispute is whether the entire competition should be delayed because several clubs are dealing with administrative restrictions, or whether the existing calendar should remain in place.

The LSFP’s decision will determine whether Ligue 1 begins as planned or whether the new Senegalese season is pushed back before the first ball is kicked.