Abahani feel the blues as Eissa ruled out
Six-time Bangladesh Premier League champions Abahani were dealt a huge blow ahead of their AFC Cup inter-zone semifinal play-off match against April 25 as their new recruit, Alaaeldin Nasr Elmagraby Eissa, is yet to complete a he suspension awarded to him by the AFC during the last edition of the AFC Cup.
Eissa, who then played for TC Sports Club of Maldives, was given the marching order against Bengaluru FC in their last group stage match on February 20, 2018. Therefore, the Egyptian defender is not eligible for the first-leg match against the visiting North Korean side to be held on August 21.
Interestingly, Eissa did not inform his new outfit about the suspension before signing the deal. Abahani came to know about the matter through correspondence with the AFC on Saturday.
“We came to know about it yesterday [Saturday] when the AFC let us know about the ineligibility of Eissa in our home match against April 25 following his two bookings in the last match of last edition’s AFC Cup. It is really a bad news for us and we have to find an available option.” Abahani manager Satyajit Das Rupu told reporters yesterday.
Abahani have struggled with their backline throughout the season in the absence of defender Tapu Barman. Masih Saighani tapered the cracks but the 32-year-old afghan ended up joining Chennaiyin FC, which left a big void in Abahani’s defence until the Sky Blues flew in Eissa.
“[It is a] bad feeling. I want to play this match. I got to know this yesterday [Saturday]. This was two years ago and I forgot,” said Eissa.
Now, Abahani will likely face April 25 with an all local backline if South Korean midfielder Lee Tae Min is played in defence for the match. This would prove a tough task for the Sky Blues indeed as the North Korean side have scored 17 goals so far in the group-stage fixtures.
“It makes us tough as we expect Ala (Eissa) to play. Badshah [Tutul Hossain] had a light accident but he will recover. It’s tough to have a solution. Mamun Mia may have a chance and even Lee Tae-Min, a defensive midfielder, can play as centre-back. We can use two of these three,” admitted Abahani coach Mario Lemos.
Meanwhile, April 25 held their first training session yesterday with their sights set on making it to the inter-zone final for the second time in a row.
Players of April 25 were unwilling to speak to reporters, however, team interpreter Jing Myong provided some insight on the team which features eight national players, of which only four travelled with the team as the rest are undergoing training with the national team for the for 2022 World Cup and 2023 Asian Cup Joint Qualifiers. Forward Kim Yu-Song has been in rich form, with six goals in six group stage matches, but he will likely miss the first-leg against Abahani due to an ankle injury.
Jing also believes that the Bangladeshi climate will not have any impact on their performance as the weather is actually better than what they expected.
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