Thursday cover: Al Wasl keeping options open to get Hugo Viana on board

The National's Sport Cover for the Thursday, October 30 issue, featuring Hugo Viana, the Portuguese playmaker Al Wasl are running into trouble bringing into the fold.

The National’s Sport cover for the Thursday, October 30 issue, featuring Hugo Viana, the Portuguese playmaker Al Wasl are running into trouble bringing into the fold.

Reporting on the situation, John McAuley writes, “Al Wasl have labelled the Football Association’s ruling to prohibit the registration of Hugo Viana an “injustice” and are preparing to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to overturn it.

“The FA decided this week to prevent the late enrolment of five players who were signed by clubs after the transfer window’s official deadline, which closed midnight on October 2.

“Those affected are Viana, who moved from champions Al Ahli, Mohammed Nasser and Saeed Suroor at Baniyas, Fujairah’s Ahmed Ibrahim, and Ahmed Jumaa at Al Shaab, the Division One side.”

To resolve things, McAuley continues, “Wasl have told the FA that they are willing to go to CAS and are confident the issue will be resolved in their favour. They would not speculate on how long their case will run.”