SAEDNEWS: The Iraqi club Al-Shorta has lodged a complaint about Armin Sohrabian's participation in Esteghlal's lineup during last night's Asian Elite League match.
According to SAEDNEWS, Esteghlal faced Al-Shorta at Azadi Stadium in front of a passionate crowd but couldn't capitalize on their home advantage, resulting in a 1-1 draw. This outcome has made it difficult for the Blues to advance to the next stage, and now they must secure a positive result in the crucial match against Al-Rayyan of Qatar to proceed to the knockout stage. The draw was a significant setback for Sohrab Bakhtiarizadeh's team, which had high expectations for a home victory.
Esteghlal's coach made several changes to the lineup, which sparked widespread reactions and criticism from the fans. One such change was substituting Armin Sohrabian for Iman Salimi in the 69th minute, a move that surprised many supporters given Esteghlal's pressing need for a goal. This substitution not only faced technical criticism but could also create substantial problems for the club as Al-Shorta has filed a complaint regarding Sohrabian's participation in the match. According to Varzesh 3's investigation, Al-Shorta claims that Sohrabian has played for three different teams this season, which violates FIFA regulations. International rules state that a player can sign contracts with three clubs during a season but only play for two. The Iraqi club has based its complaint on this rule.
In recent weeks, Esteghlal has been reviewing and verifying Sohrabian's status to ensure his participation is legal. However, it's unclear if Esteghlal has received official confirmation from FIFA. Additionally, reports from within Iran may have prompted Al-Shorta to take action on this issue. The Iraqi club submitted its official complaint to the match observer within the allowed two-hour period after the game, and the case is now under review by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
But this isn't the only controversial case in the Asian Elite League. In another match of this competition, Al-Wasl from the UAE has also lodged a similar complaint with the AFC regarding the participation of Al-Nassr's new player, John Duran. The UAE club claims that Duran's participation was illegal and that the result of the match should be changed in Al-Wasl's favor. Al-Wasl believes that John Duran joined Al-Nassr after the deadline for adding new players to the Asian roster. According to AFC regulations, clubs must add new players to their roster five days before the seventh week's matches.
The AFC now faces two high-profile cases that could significantly impact the league standings. It remains to be seen what the outcome of Al-Shorta and Al-Wasl's complaints will be and whether these protests will lead to changes in match results. Regardless, Esteghlal is now facing not only the challenge of advancing but also a new legal battle that could affect their fate in the Asian Elite League.
