FA interim head hits back at rules dispute

Yousef Al Serkal, the temporary president of the Football Association, says any claim of impropriety in regards to a breach of Fifa statutes will be dealt with by his legal team.

Yousef Al Serkal, the interim Football Association president, says allegations of rules violations will be handled by his legal team privately.

Yousef Al Serkal, the temporary president of the Football Association, acknowledged allegations against him that claim he is in breach of Fifa statutes, but said the matter will be dealt with privately by his legal team.

On Saturday evening, at the launch of Abdullah Hareb Al Falahi’s election campaign ahead of the May 16 presidential ballot, the former Al Wasl chairman’s legal adviser, Salem Hadeed, accused Al Serkal of dishonestly claiming the position of interim head of the FA.

Hadeed claims Al Serkal changed clauses in the rulebook during an extraordinary general meeting last year following the resignation of former president Mohammed Khalfan Al Rumathi. The rules state, said Hadeed, that clauses can only be negotiated at an annual general meeting.

Al Serkal, who is Al Falahi’s only opponent in the election, said that whoever is making such claims should study in depth the FA’s rules and regulations.

Al Serkal, who is also running for president of the Asian Football Confederation, was last night meeting with his board of directors at the FA headquarters in Dubai. The Emirati said the appointment was  previously scheduled and “totally unrelated” to Hadeed's allegations.

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