Al-Ettifaq rules out appeal against Gulf Club Champions League defeat

Sources suggest that the Al-Ettifaq management will not appeal the Gulf Football Association's decision, which deemed the team to have lost to Erbil of Iraq by a score of 0-3.

The decision came after Al-Ittifaq failed to participate in the second round match of Group C in the Gulf Club Champions League, which was scheduled to take place on October 28 at the François Hariri Stadium in Erbil.

The Disciplinary Committee has issued its decision following a review of the reports submitted by the Competitions Committee, relying on the regulatory rules of the Gulf Club Champions League and the powers granted to it in dealing with such cases.

Sources have reported that Al-Ettifaq's management is currently studying the reasons and circumstances that the decision was based on, but according to current indications, they are not inclined to submit an official objection.

The Saudi club had requested to postpone the match after its delegation was unable to travel to Iraq, and it submitted a letter to the Gulf Club Champions League that included the justifications that prevented the team from reaching the match venue.

However, the Gulf Club Champions League decided to uphold the result in favor of Erbil by three goals to nil, along with imposing a financial penalty on Al Ittihad amounting to 150,000 Qatari riyals for their absence.

Despite the penalty, Al-Ettifaq is in second place in Group C with 6 points, tied with Erbil at the top, who lead on goal difference.

Ajman sits third in the group with 6 points, while Kazma is at the bottom without any points so far.

The regulations of the tournament state that the top two teams from each group qualify for the Quarter-Final, along with the two best teams finishing third among the three groups.