Al-Students Club ignited controversy in the Iraqi football community after issuing a strong statement against the decision of the Disciplinary Committee, which ruled that the team be considered a loser with a score of three goals to none against Al-Naft, and imposed a financial penalty of (5 million Iraqi dinars), as part of the third round of the Iraqi Stars League.

The Disciplinary Committee based its decision on the report of the match observer, which indicated that player Mustafa Muhammad Ma'n participated wearing jersey number (34), while his registered number in the official list was (32). This situation led the committee to consider it a clear violation of the regulations, deciding to award the three points to Al-Naft and imposing a financial penalty on Al-Students, confirming that the decision is subject to appeal.

Al-Students Club responded with an official statement saying: "We are astonished by the decision issued by the Disciplinary Committee, as the violation pertains only to the jersey number and not the name, and the player is legally registered in the union's records, thus the decision does not rely on a clear legal basis."

The statement added: "There is no clause in the competition regulations regarding player numbers, which makes the decision unjust towards the club and carries with it private agendas."

The statement also attacked the head of the Disciplinary Committee, Ali Wali, accusing him of unprofessionalism after he made media statements about the penalty before it was officially announced, confirming that the administration would take legal action against him.

The club emphasized that the committees of the Iraqi Federation are facing a real test to prove the independence of their decisions, stressing that it will resort to all legal means to reclaim its rights, along with filing an official appeal and distinction against the penalty.