Hamdallah ban casts doubt on Al-Ittihad’s Saudi Pro League challenge

Al-Ittihad’s chances of clinching a first Saudi Professional League title since 2009 were dented this week with star striker Abderrazak Hamdallah banned for four months just weeks ahead of the 2022-23 season. To make matters worse, the club are also unable to register new players in the next transfer window.

The punishment was handed down by the Saudi Arabia Football Federation on Tuesday after a dispute between his former club Al-Nassr which had accused him, among other things, of conspiring to leave the team. His contract was cancelled by the Riyadh giants in November and he then joined Al-Ittihad in January.

The 31-year-old then scored 12 league goals in 13 games for the Tigers in the second half of last season. It wasn’t quite enough to win the championship however as the Jeddah outfit, who had a double-digit lead at the top of the table in February, stumbled and took just five points from the final six games to finish second behind Al-Hilal in June.

It was a painful ending to a campaign and cost Cosmin Contra his job as coach, the Romanian being replaced by Nuno Espirito Santo in July. The appointment of the experienced Portuguese boss, who was in charge of Tottenham Hotspur this time last year, was a big statement.

Now, however, Nuno has to deal with the lengthy absence of one of the most consistent goal-getters in Asian football in recent years. He saw it for himself last Friday as Hamdallah scored the only goal of the game as Al-Ittihad defeated Swiss club Lucerne 1-0. It was an encouraging performance and victory against a European team as the Saudi Arabian giants prepare for a new season.

The Moroccan showed the poaching skills that had seen him find the net so consistently over the years. The match also