Sharjah Sports Council have urged Nawaf Mubarak, the Al Sharjah player seeking to leave the club, to respect his contract. Yahya Abdel Karim, the head of professional affairs at the council and winner of three league titles with Sharjah as a player, believes the issue can be resolved through dialogue. "Both the parties need to respect the contract, there is no need to bring the issue into the public domain," he said.
"Nawaf is not going to get a penny more or less if he or his representatives start screaming out in the public. "The best solution will only come through talks, so both parties need to return to the table. "The players should remember that they have signed contracts without any pressure and they cannot just walk away anytime they like." Adil al Amiri, Mubarak's legal representative, has told the club and Sharjah Sports Council that his client will seek payment of Dh400,000 they say has not been paid and the dissolution of a five-year contract.
Al Amiri is preparing a dossier of alleged irregularities to present to the UAE Football Associations. "We did not want it this way. We tried our best to find a friendly solution so that Nawaf could continue with Sharjah," he said. "Things have deteriorated to an extent that it is impossible to find a friendly solution." Al Shabab have signed Brazilian striker Pedrao on a one-year deal. Pedrao, 31, arrives from the Brazilian club Grêmio Recreativo Barueri, where he scored 16 goals in 18 appearances last season.
Pedrao is Shabab's second foreign recruit of the pre-season after the 23-year-old Chilean midfielder, Carlos Villanueva. arizvi@thenational.ae