Friday 10/April/2026 – 07:44 PM
Club issued Sudanese Crescent A new official statement revealing what happened during the disciplinary hearing by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) yesterday in the case related to NS Berkane player Hamza Moussaoui.
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The Sudanese club Al Hilal said in a statement: Following the illegal exclusion to which our legal representatives were subjected to from the CAF disciplinary hearing yesterday in the case related to the player Hamza El Moussaoui and the subsequent notification sent directly to the club instead of its lawyer regarding the resumption of the hearing today, Al Hilal FC attended on the scheduled date to continue its pursuit of justice. However, what happened today confirms that the violations that were monitored yesterday were not isolated incidents, but rather part of a flawed and completely unacceptable course of action.
The club added in its statement: Before the session officially began, the same pattern of injustice was repeated immediately. Upon joining the meeting via video communication technology, Al Hilal Club was again forcibly excluded from the session hall by the Chairman of the Committee, Mr. Othman Kan, who explicitly stated that he would not allow the club to participate unless it changed its legal representatives within five minutes. This is considered a flagrant violation of a basic right, which is the freedom to choose a lawyer, and thus the African Union Disciplinary Committee has effectively stripped Al Hilal Club of its right to defense. It placed the club under unlawful pressure, and it is not permissible in any democratic legal system to arbitrarily exclude the main party itself from the proceedings, as well as its legally authorized representatives. However, Othman Can openly ignored these basic principles, and placed Al Hilal in an impossible position. The right to defense was not only restricted but effectively silenced.
The club noted in its statement: At a time when Al Hilal Club was seeking to assert its most basic procedural rights, the other party’s lawyers were allowed, yesterday and again before our attempt to participate today, to communicate directly with the arbitration panel outside the minutes of the session. This is considered a serious violation of the principle of equal opportunities between the parties, and raises deep concerns about the impartiality of the entire process. No action can be considered fair if one party is excluded while the other party is granted unannounced access to decision makers. The seriousness of the situation is exacerbated by the behavior of the other party, as A club that includes a player who recently received a two-year suspension for doping, chose to accuse Al Hilal Club of violating the principle of fair play, and described our demands as exaggerated and hopeless.
The statement added: These statements are not only inappropriate, but they reveal a lot. The participation of this player, despite the fact that he was found to be using stimulants and the controversial lifting of his temporary suspension, directly affected the results of the matches, as he received a decisive penalty kick in the first match, and he had an impact in the second match through a red card incident, which contributed to the elimination of Al Hilal Club. These facts alone are sufficient to prove the legitimacy of our position, and that lifting the temporary suspension was done arbitrarily, unfairly and without a sound legal basis. This is evident not only from the decision itself, but also from the course of the procedures. The session was postponed several times without justification, and its date was set very close to decisive matches.
He continued: The procedures were also expedited. In addition, the same person who participated in the initial decision chaired the hearing panel, and our right to be heard was repeatedly violated. When looking at these elements together, it becomes clear that there is a pattern that cannot be ignored, and although we received this decision today, in light of what can be described as a climate of procedural irregularities and legal uncertainty, we were not surprised. From the beginning, the approach taken by the African Union in this case made the outcome predictable.
The club concluded its statement: Despite these circumstances, Al Hilal Club remains committed to its position. We have filed an official appeal with the Confederation of African Football in accordance with all procedural requirements. However, if a serious and legal decision is not reached within the specified time frame, we will resort to the Court of Arbitration for Sport and will proceed with this case with all determination until justice is achieved. This case goes beyond just one club, it reflects the current state of African football management and raises serious questions about its credibility, and we call on the football community to follow this case closely, as Its outcome will have major implications for the integrity and future of the game on the continent, and regardless of the final outcome, it has become clear that this case will leave a lasting mark on football history.
