DZWatch Exclusive: Sudanese football club Al-Hilal has threatened to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland, following sanctions imposed by the Confederation of African Football (CAF). The club is disputing penalties stemming from incidents that occurred during their recent match against Algeria’s Mouloudia.
Al-Hilal announced on Friday that CAF’s disciplinary committee has suspended their player, Jean Claude, for three matches and fined him $5,000. Performance analyst Walid Sharshari received the same penalty. Furthermore, the club itself was fined $15,000 in connection with the events following the match, which took place in Kigali, Rwanda, as part of the CAF Champions League Group C.
The Sudanese club has vehemently rejected the sanctions, describing them as “unfair, unjust, and not reflective of the true events.” In a statement released on their official Facebook page, Al-Hilal asserted that the match observer’s report and the security coordinator’s report both indicated that members of Mouloudia’s technical staff and players pursued Jean Claude, attempting to physically assault him.
Al-Hilal further stated that its board of directors has instructed the club’s legal counsel, Pedro, a specialist in sports law who attended the hearing with CAF, to file an appeal with CAF’s Appeals Committee. The club is prepared to escalate the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport if they do not receive a fair hearing.
The match in question saw Al-Hilal defeat Mouloudia by a score of 2-1. Jean Claude received a red card after clashes erupted between players and staff from both teams after the final whistle, requiring security intervention to quell the disturbances. Reports suggest the altercation was triggered when Jean Claude allegedly threw a water bottle towards the Algerian team’s bench.
Group C also includes Mamelodi Sundowns.
