FIFA sends stunned Ashdod to last place in the standings

Team drops slots after being deducted 6 points per an order by FIFA, due to a long-standing dispute over a transfer fee with Nigerian club Kaduna United.

By ALLON SINAI
Hapoel Tel Aviv’s Sagiv Yehezkel and Moshe Ohayon (photo credit: ADI AVISHAI)
Hapoel Tel Aviv’s Sagiv Yehezkel and Moshe Ohayon
(photo credit: ADI AVISHAI)
Ashdod SC dropped to last place in the Premier League standings on Wednesday after being deducted six points per an order by FIFA, due to a long-standing dispute over a transfer fee with Nigerian club Kaduna United.
Ashdod purchased defender Efe Ambrose from Kaduna back in June 2010 for a fee of $70,000, with the Nigerians also including a clause guaranteeing them a 20 percent stake of the player’s next transfer.
Ashdod never paid Kaduna the $70,000, claiming that it was given the details of a personal bank account rather than one belonging to the club, with its debt to the Nigerians growing by a further 140,000 euros after Ambrose was sold on to Celtic of the Scottish Premier League in the summer of 2012.
A FIFA Disciplinary Committee ruled back in October of last year that Ashdod will be deducted six points should it continue avoid paying Kaduna and the Israel Football Association confirmed that the bank account details given by the Nigerians were valid.
Ashdod said that it has already transferred a first payment of 75,000 euros in recent days, but its procrastination may end up costing it dearly after FIFA sent a fax to the IFA on Wednesday demanding that the club be immediately deducted six points.
Ashdod claims this is all a result of a misunderstanding and believes the punishment will be canceled once it finalizes the payment of the entire debt next week. However, at least for the time being, it has fallen to the bottom of the standings, two points from safety.
Ashdod (21 points), winless in its past nine contests, hosts Hapoel Acre (22) on Saturday. In other action on Saturday, Hapoel Petah Tikva (23) faces Bnei Sakhnin (33), Hapoel Haifa (26) welcomes Hapoel Tel Aviv (32) and Maccabi Netanya (36) visits Hapoel Ra’anana (37).


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