Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Riyadh: A Club Legal and Disciplinary Workshop under the AFC Kick Off programme was held recently in the Saudi Arabian city of Riyadh.
The objective of the seminar was to disseminate information about the legal structure and disciplinary powers of the AFC to Saudi clubs who participate in the AFC Champions League.
The workshop was handled by Yasser Al Misehal, CEO of the Saudi Pro League and Member of the AFC Disciplinary Committee.
The workshop covered three broad areas, namely the legal structure of the AFC, the AFC judicial bodies, and the AFC Champions League; disciplinary operations during and after a match; and disciplinary decisions involving Saudi clubs for 2011-2015 and future areas of focus.
The above was presented by James Kitching, Legal Counsel and Secretary to the AFC judicial bodies.
“I am very grateful that the AFC has offered this service to the Saudi Arabian Football Federation under the Kick Off programme,” said Al Simehal. “Our objective at the Saudi Pro League is to ensure a transparent relationship between our clubs and the AFC on disciplinary matters.
“We were very pleased with the content that was delivered to the clubs. The clubs all gave excellent feedback and have a much better understanding of the legal and disciplinary issues in the AFC Champions League. We hope to have further workshops in future.”
Dr Hamid Al Shaibani, General Secretary of Yeman FA and Deputy Chairman of the AFC Disciplinary Committee, presented on the role of the judicial officer and what occurs in AFC Disciplinary Committee meetings.
“I congratulate AFC for this initiative under the Kick Off programme and am pleased to be part of the first club legal and disciplinary workshop,” said Al Shaibani. “It is important for our clubs, especially in West Asia, to be educated on the disciplinary process and the reasons why decisions are made. I hope other Member Associations take the opportunity to have a similar workshop in future.”
Clubs and other stakeholders in football had the opportunity to ask questions about a range of legal and disciplinary matters.
All agreed that the workshop provided a great insight into how disciplinary decisions are made in relation to Saudi Arabia representative teams and Saudi clubs.
The education provided will assist Saudi clubs in preventing the types of misconduct that have occurred in the previous Disciplinary Committee term and also what types of proof they may present to the Disciplinary Committee to defend themselves in disciplinary cases.