Al Ahli are expected to discover the fate of an appeal made to sport’s highest legal body today as they attempt to overturn their disqualification from Friday’s Arabian Gulf Cup final.
The Red Knights have put a case forward to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) as they continue to dispute the UAE Football Association’s decision that new signing Khamis Esmail was ineligible for their 3-2 semi-final victory against Al Shabab.
An appeal by Al Ahli to the UAE FA disciplinary committee was rejected last week.
UAE FA decided to award a 3-0 loss to the Hawks as punishment, who are currently set to face Al Wahda at Al Maktoum Stadium.
A reversal from the Switzerland-based quasi-judicial body would throw the season’s first major showpiece into disrepute, causing a scheduling crisis in the UAE ahead of the resumption of competitive action after the international break.
The furore had centred around restrospectively-cited issues related to the documentation produced to complete Esmail’s Dh60 million switch from fellow giants Al Jazira.
The UAE defensive midfielder came on as an 84th-minute substitute in January 19’s last-four tie, less than 24 hours after the move had been rubberstamped by the UAE FA.
Problems then arose in the aftermath, with Shabab insisting certain documents were missing.
