Former Jordan Football Association Secretary-General Samar Nassar was not in a good mood yesterday morning when she headed to work on her final day following the decision for her departure from the association, amid the fallout from the “television broadcast scandal” involving Jordan’s match against Syria.
اضافة اعلان
On her final day, Nassar arrived at the association’s headquarters in her own Mercedes and met with department heads. She told them that she had been happy to work with them and expressed her appreciation for the period she had spent at the association, wishing them success. This was the first indication to employees that she was leaving.
After the meeting, Nassar asked her secretary to tell the driver to bring her private car to the back entrance because she did not want anyone to see her leaving the association. The association’s board had also not asked her to remain at the headquarters until its meeting.
Most employees at the Football Association reportedly expressed satisfaction with Nassar’s departure, while a small number welcomed the decision less enthusiastically.
Some employees also questioned why the association’s Vice President Marwan Juma remained in his position, despite expectations that he would also leave.
Hegazi Maher Seeks Nearly $400,000 From Al-Faisaly
Former Al-Faisaly football player Hegazi Maher has filed a complaint against the club seeking more than $400,000 in financial dues.
Al-Faisaly signed Maher last season on a three-year contract worth a substantial amount before terminating the player’s contract without reaching an agreement with him. Maher subsequently filed a complaint with the Football Association seeking his financial entitlements.
Maher was expected to move to Al-Wehdat after the club expressed interest in signing him, but the transfer was never officially completed, leaving the player without a club registration after the registration window closed.
League Break Reveals More Professionalism Issues
The current break in domestic competitions has exposed many of the problems facing clubs in the professional football league, which are dealing with numerous challenges.
Such problems often emerge during international breaks when domestic competitions are suspended. Among the latest negative developments, some professional league clubs have played friendly matches on pitches unsuitable for football or lacking the standards expected of professional clubs, leaving coaches in a difficult position.
Coaches have been left with two options: continue training during the competition break or arrange friendly matches on deteriorating pitches. In another recent development, players at one professional league club stopped attending training because they had not received their monthly salaries. This prompted the team’s head coach to threaten to resign if the situation was not resolved.
Some club administrations have also refused to answer players’ calls because they have no response regarding their financial demands, further frustrating the players.
In another development, the management of one club reportedly gave its coach a final chance in the team’s next league match, with the coach set to leave if the team fails to win.
Among the current problems in professional football, a number of players were reportedly seen smoking hookah at a café shortly before heading to the stadium for training. This prompted one member of the coaching staff to consider making a surprise visit to the café to verify the situation.
Nigerian Professional Oludare Leaves Al-Salt
English professional player Oludare has left Al-Salt Football Club to join the Cypriot league. His departure came after receiving approval from Al-Salt, which brought in Nigerian professional Abdi Barry as his replacement.
Stars Behind the Scenes
• One professional football club has called on the Players’ Status Committee to deal transparently with complaints filed by players, clubs and coaches and to avoid delaying decisions in favor of certain clubs.
• An employee at a local sports federation reportedly carries an ATM card loaded with JD5,000 and uses it on every trip. The card, of course, belongs to the sports federation and its financial fund.
• First Division clubs are awaiting the Football Association’s response to their request to increase financial support. The clubs say they received a promise from the association that funding would be increased.
Resource: Al-Ghad. Reporting: Khaled Al-Khatatbeh
