Ciel injury hits Al Ahli; Toure suspended

coach Cosmin said that he was too much concerned about the incident.

Dubai — Defending champions Al Ahli were dealt a blow with an injury to key player in the opening round of Arabian Gulf League while Al Nasr suspended their own player for rough tackling of a rival player in the opener.

Al Ahli’s midfielder Jocial da Silva ‘Ciel’ was injured in their clash against Sharjah and coach Cosmin said that he was too much concerned about the incident.

The Brazilian will undergo surgery and is expected to resume playing in a few days, according to the club’s website.

Meanwhile, Al Nasr have decided to suspend their Senegalese attacker Ibrahima Toure till further notice. According to sources the player’s contract could be terminated on disciplinary grounds. The African-import was sent off in the 70^th minute of his club’s 1-1 draw against Bani Yas for a dangerous tackle on rival defender Mohammed Jaber.

According to Ahmed Hashem Khoury, deputy chairman of Al Nasr, the club has a charter of ethics which every player is expected to follow. The opening round of the season threw up some interesting results. Al Wahda made a winning start on their home pitch at Al Nahyan Stadium, comfortably blanking newly promoted Ittihad Kalba 5-0.

However, defeat at home left Sharjah fans fuming as they held referee responsible for their solitary goal defeat to Al Ahli. At the same time Sharjah’s head coach Paulo Bonamigo and the club’s officials have refrained from taking a dig at the referee. Their contention is that it’s not their job to make a comment on the referee’s decision.

Sharjah fans at the stadium were heard protesting against the UAE international referee Sultan Al Marzouqi’s handling, arguing that he has turned a blind eye to what could be at least two penalties, including the most obvious foul against their striker Wanderley Santos Monteiro in the dying minutes of the second half.

Meanwhile Sharjah left winger Ahmed Khamis admitted that they were beaten by a better side who have dominated the game in the first half and scored.

“We improved in the second half and missed a handful of easy scoring opportunities due to our bad luck,” he said. Sharjah were reduced to 10 players after midfielder Shaheen Abdul Rahman was red-carded in the 48^th minute. “I don’t think Abdul Rahman should be held responsible for the defeat. Our job right now is to forget about the defeat and think on how to improve,” he said.