PETALING JAYA: Sanfrecce Hiroshima coach Bartosch Gaul has admitted he was left confused by the decision that allowed three suspended players to feature in the first leg of their AFC Champions League (ACL) Elite tie last week.
In the match, which Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) won 3-1, striker Joao Figueiredo started after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) granted him and six other players a reprieve pending a final verdict.
“I knew this question would come. It is an emotional one for me. But it is not under my influence — or under our influence, I should say,” said the Polish coach.
“What can I say about it? At first, I thought it was a joke that it was just for one match. I am a fan of clear decisions. If there was a situation involving a breach of rules — I do not know.
“If there was, then there should be a clear decision. For me, it was not clear and I cannot understand it 100 percent.
“But it does not matter for us because what is under our control is the team and how we approach the match. Our focus is on finding ways to win.
“So we concentrate on ourselves. A win would be the best answer and then we would not need to discuss anything else.”
Three out of the seven - Figueiredo, Hector Hevel and Jon Irazabal - will play no part in the second-leg at the Edion Wing Peace Stadium in Hiroshima on Wednesday (March 11).
Last week, CAS partially upheld an appeal by seven footballers who had been sanctioned for falsifying documents in an eligibility case involving the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM).
The tribunal ruled that their 12-month suspension applies only to official matches, allowing them to continue training and participating in other football-related activities with their clubs.
The players involved are Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, Figueiredo, Gabriel Palmero, Jon Irazabal and Hector Hevel.
However, a separate appeal by FAM was dismissed, meaning the association must still pay a fine of 350,000 Swiss francs (RM1.8mil).
