Mohamed Kanno’s suspension big blow for Al-Hilal, Saudi Arabia

RIYADH: Life is never boring at Al-Hilal. On the pitch, Asia’s most successful club are either trying to defend their continental title with six games in the space of two weeks in April or then returning to domestic action in early May in a desperate bid to keep in touch with league leaders Al-Ittihad.

If that was not enough, there is also the curious case of Mohamed Kanno.

The all-action midfielder has established himself as one of the best in the country and played all but 18 minutes out of a possible 900 in Saudi Arabia’s final round of qualification for the 2022 World Cup.

However, the 27-year-old may be about to miss a large chunk of preparation for the tournament in Qatar after having just been hit with a four-month ban by the dispute resolution department of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation. Not only that, but Al-Hilal have been effectively banned from operating in the next two transfer windows and have also been landed with a fine of around $7.2 million (SR27 million).

The reason is familiar to all who follow football in the country. Kanno joined Al-Hilal in 2017 on a five-year contract and as that deal ran down last winter and he was allowed to talk to other clubs and was close to becoming a free agent, he agreed to join bitter Riyadh rivals Al-Nassr.

Shortly after, however, he signed a new deal for Al-Hilal and continued to play for the club. Al-Nassr made an official complaint in January and the SAFF has been investigating this case of a player having contracts with two different clubs ever since, only this week releasing its decision.

One of the main talking points now is whether the decision will be upheld. Al-Hilal have the right to appeal and, according to reports, have already opted to do so.