A turbulent week in African club football reached a decisive climax as the Confederation of African Football’s Disciplinary Committee threw out Kenya Police FC’s protest; clearing Sudanese powerhouse Al Hilal to march into the CAF Champions League group stage.
The ruling, delivered to Al Hilal’s General Secretariat on November 17, 2025, came a day before the club’s first group-stage clash and brought an end to an anxious eligibility dispute that threatened to overshadow the tie.
The controversy followed Al Hilal’s 3-1 victory in the second leg of their preliminary round meeting at Benghazi’s Benina Martyrs Stadium on 24 October, which sealed a 4-1 aggregate win after a 1-0 first-leg triumph.
What Kenya Police challenged was narrow but explosive: the eligibility of three Al Hilal players — Soufian Farid Ouédraogo, Sunday Damilare Adetunji and Ernest Luzolo. Backed by a detailed memorandum from the Kenyan Football Federation, the appeal focused on registration and transfer formalities that, if upheld, could have upended the result and the composition of the group stage.
Al Hilal sprang into rapid action. The club’s leadership, spearheaded by Secretary General Dr Hassan Ali Issa and Executive Secretary Yasser Hassan Ibrahim, with counsel from Vice President Muhammad Ibrahim Aliqui, compiled payments, legal arguments and translated documentation from the Sudan Football Federation. The club says it responded within the deadline set by CAF after the Disciplinary Committee paused initial proceedings to allow for clarification.
CAF’s verdict sided with Al Hilal. The Disciplinary Committee examined Sudan’s registration rules — which permit a specified quota of foreign players — and found that the submitted paperwork, once translated and reviewed, validated the trio’s participation. Al Hilal framed the decision as a vindication of thorough administration and timely, professional response.
With the appeal dismissed, Al Hilal can now turn its full attention to the pitch. The club praised the patience and precision of its officials for presenting a complete case to CAF and insisted the squad is cleared to compete without further off-field distraction.
For Kenya Police FC, the decision is a bitter setback — and a reminder of how fine margins and procedural detail can determine continental destiny. For Al Hilal, however, the outcome is clean: their group-stage berth stands, the controversy closed, and their Champions League campaign can proceed as planned.
