DUBAI // Al Shabab will contest the Arabian Gulf Cup final next week against Al Wahda after Al Ahli's appeal was rejected.
Cosmin Olaroiu's side were earlier this month stripped of their place in the showpiece on April 1, when it emerged they had fielded an ineligible player in January's semi-final victory against Shabab.
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Khamis Esmail, the UAE midfielder, was introduced as an 84th-minute substitute in the 3-2 win having joined Ahli from Al Jazira the previous day. However, Shabab claimed his registration had not been completed and raised the issue with the Football Association.
The FA’s Disciplinary Committee then awarded Shabab a 3-0 victory and a slot in the final, only for Ahli to appeal the decision. The committee then reconvened on Wednesday evening and ruled against Ahli.
Shabab, league cup winners in 2011, will now take on Wahda at Al Maktoum Stadium a week on Friday. Meanwhile, although Ahli’s bid for an unprecedented treble has ended, they remain in the hunt for two pieces of silverware.
The 2013/14 UAE champions currently lead the Arabian Gulf League by one point with five rounds of the season left, while they are also through to the quarter-finals of the President’s Cup. There, they face Al Shaab, with the match scheduled for May 13.
Speaking earlier this week before the final decision was made, Ahli chairman Abdullah Al Naboodah said: "At the end of the day, we are always optimistic. We will look at the two bigger trophies and just put our heads down and focus on these two."
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