Ex-France centre forward Bafetimbi Gomis has joined Italy maestro Sebastian Giovinco in becoming one of “15 active cases of players” impacted by an escalating coronavirus crisis at Al Hilal, though the holders’ extraordinary request to postpone Sunday’s AFC Champions League group-stage clash with Iran’s Shahr Khodro appears to have been rejected.
The infectious disease has taken hold since the star-studded Saudi Professional League winners arrived in Doha last weekend when the West Zone recommenced, following a six-month hiatus. Each round of testing has highlighted, worrying, swathes of fresh infections within their ranks.
A club announcement late Saturday night highlighted 10 new positive tests – including a trio of footballers, led by talisman Gomis – and asked for the leaders’ fifth Group D-fixture, versus eliminated opposition, to be moved. No official response was made public by organisers for the match set to kick-off at 18:00 local time (19:00 UAE) behind closed doors at Al Janoub Stadium, though tweets previewing the game on official channels were published on Sunday morning and well-connected Arriyadiyah newspaper reported a refusal even though 24 members of their party were impacted.
The same publication stated an emergency call had been made to summon recently retired talisman Mohammad Al Shalhoub and youngster Walid Al Ahmad, while a request to move to a larger hotel was granted on Saturday. Friday’s allowance for emergency registrations of youth-team goalkeepers Abdullah Al Bishi and Ahmad Al Jubaya has meant Hilal still fit criteria, contained in Article 4.3 of the AFC’s COVID-19 rulebook, of being able to field 13 or more players, including two or more shot stoppers.
Others leading figures affected include electric Saudi Arabia winger Salem Al Dawsari, centre-back Ali Al Bulaihi and rampaging full-back Yasser Al Shahrani.
Gomis reposted a message, in the early hours of Sunday morning, on his Instagram Stories which read: “Get well soon, our lion.”
Al Wahda, of the UAE, were considered withdrawn from the competition when not allowed to travel by authorities because of the enforced 14-day quarantine linked to an outbreak, with their results in Group A being considered ‘null and void’. A player from Qatar Stars League champions Al Duhail was also revealed on September 12 as having returned a positive.
A weakened Hilal side’s 100-per-cent record was ended by Thursday’s goalless draw with 2020 Uzbekistan Super League pacesetters Pakhtakor. This result has left them one win shy of making the round of 16.
Strict medical protocols have been put in place for the unprecedented three-week spin through the West’s commitments, from four remaining pool matches to October 3’s semi-final. These include tests every three-six days and limiting movement within a ‘medical bubble’.
The East Zone has been pushed back to November 15-December 13 from a proposed mid-October resumption. A one-legged final, rather than the usual two-legged affair, will be played in the west on December 19.
FIXTURES
Sunday
Group A
22:00 Esteghlal v Al Shorta
Group B
19:00 Shahr Khodro v Al Hilal
22:00 Shabab Al Ahli Dubai Club v Pakhtakor
Monday
Group C
19:00 Persepolis v Al Duhail
22:00 Al Taawoun v Sharjah
Group D
19:00 Al Sadd v Al Nassr
22:00 Sepahan v Al Ain
