Unprofessional

It was touching to read the article in the sister newspaper Al Rai on June 1, 2016, about two professional players, Santos and Miguel, who were badly treated and face possible imprisonment for not being able to afford paying the house rent because they were refused payment of their contract money by one of the most veteran clubs of Jordan, Al Faisali.

It is disappointing to see that while Prince Ali is fighting strenuously to put Jordan on the football map of the world and to see his efforts at FIFA to fight corruption, there are clubs in Jordan that behave in an unprofessional manner with professional players they bring over, use their skills and experience to bring the club ranking up and then deny them their rights and use intimidation, telling them, as it was mentioned in the article, to leave Jordan because it is not their country. 

What a ridiculous notion!

Is this the Jordanian hospitality we are famous for?

Is this the image we want professionals we hire to have of Jordan?

What kind of football generation are we creating, when our young players see their role models and managers lie and cheat?

What is going to be done about it?

I know we are not living in a perfect world, and people everywhere make mistakes, intentionally or otherwise, but when the same incidents happen over and over again, and nothing is being done about it, perpetrators get the impression that they can get away with it all the time.

This incident does not concern Al Faisali club only, but all Jordanians. Al Faisali, after all, represents Jordan when playing abroad. 

I’m sure Jordanians in general and Al Faisali supporters in particular condemn this act and will call for a full investigation into this and similar incidents in other clubs.

Those players should get their rights immediately, together with an official letter of apology by the club management so as to give back to them some of the dignity they lost in our country. Only this way can we walk the royal path Prince Ali has set for football in Jordan.

Nidal Khoury,
Amman