Legal expert drops a bombshell: does Al-Hilal have the right to sue Cancelo? | Goal.com
Legal expert Turki Al-Shammari has confirmed that Joao Cancelo's absence from Al-Hilal's training camp does not automatically hand the club the right to turn to FIFA. The incident on its own, he explained, is not enough to prove a contractual breach that would warrant terminating the deal or claiming compensation.
Speaking to "Okaz" newspaper, Al-Shammari said Al-Hilal must first prove the Portugal defender was officially told when to join the camp, that he stayed away without permission or legal justification, and that official warnings ordered his return, all before taking any escalatory measures.
The regulations, he pointed out, initially give the club the right to apply the disciplinary sanctions written into the contract, such as a warning, a fine or a financial deduction, while allowing the player a full chance to explain his position and defend himself.
Should the absence drag on and every notification go ignored, the matter could become a fundamental breach of contract, one that would let the club legitimately end the relationship.
Read also: In preparation for the anticipated deal: Malcom prepares to leave Al-Hilal
Al-Hilal will not be able to turn to FIFA's Dispute Resolution Chamber until every legal step has been completed, Al-Shammari added. Only then can they seek to prove the legitimacy of terminating the contract and win compensation for damages. The sanctions could even extend to the player in a sporting capacity if it is proven the breach occurred during the protected period of the contract.
He stressed that the strength of Al-Hilal's legal position will not rest on media chatter or on the mere fact of the player skipping training. It will rest on a complete legal file: the contract, the official notifications, the warnings and every piece of evidence proving the absence was deliberate rather than an emergency.
All of this unfolds while Cancelo remains absent from Al-Hilal's preparatory camp in Austria. Reports point to the player wanting a permanent return to Barcelona, yet Al-Hilal are holding firm on a 15 million euro fee before agreeing to sell his contract. Negotiations between the two clubs continue.
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