Troubles in the Professional Cup final hit Al Ain.. Kaku will miss two matches

The Al Ain team’s troubles doubled after its loss in the final of the Professional Football League Cup to Al Wahda on penalties, after the repercussions of the confrontation extended beyond the final whistle, casting a shadow on Al-Zaeem’s journey in the Professional League Championship, which it leads with 59 points, six points behind its rival Shabab Al-Ahly, three rounds before the finish line.

The Paraguayan international playmaker Alejandro Caco, who tops the list of most goals with seven assists, received a direct red card, which prevents him from playing in two decisive matches against Al-Sharjah and Al-Dhafra in the next two rounds of the professional league, at a very sensitive time as Al-Zaeem is close to clinching the title.

The day before yesterday, Al Wahda was crowned champion of the Professional League Cup after defeating Al Ain on penalties 4-2, after regular time ended in a goalless draw.

Sources revealed to Emirates Al-Youm that the report of Russian referee Sergei, who officiated in the Professional League Cup final between Al-Wahda and Al-Ain, included a direct red card for both Kaku and Al-Wahda player Mansour Saleh, although it was not announced on the field, as it was recorded later due to the events that occurred after the end of the match.

The number of suspension matches may increase if the incidents are referred to the Disciplinary Committee, which has the authority to increase penalties according to the referee and observer’s report.

The spark of tension began immediately after the final whistle sounded, when Al-Wahda player Abdulaziz Al-Balushi headed towards the Al-Ain players to celebrate near them, in a scene that did not go unnoticed, as Moroccan Sufyan Rahimi rushed towards him in an attempt to push him away, so the shot quickly turned into a fistfight.

As tension escalated, the atmosphere lost control on the field, as a number of players from both teams rushed into clashes, and in the midst of that chaos, Kaku entered into a direct fistfight with Mansour Saleh, which resulted in him sustaining a wound in his mouth.

The events did not stop there, as the following moments witnessed the entry of a number of substitute players from both teams onto the field, expanding the circle of clashes, before the administrative and technical bodies intervened to resolve the conflict and gradually contain the situation.

At the team level, Al Ain will find itself facing an additional challenge, represented by the absence of one of the most prominent keys to its play in the decisive stage of the season, as Kaku is the player who has created the most goals since the beginning of the league, which puts the technical staff facing a difficult task to find an alternative capable of compensating for this influential absence.

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Today, “Al-Zaeem” resumes its preparations for its upcoming confrontation against Al-Sharjah, scheduled for next Wednesday at the latter’s stadium, in a match that cannot be divided into two, as “Violet” needs to achieve victory in order to officially clinch the league title, and overcome the effects of losing the Professional League Cup final.

Serbian coach Vladimir Ivic will be required not only to find technical solutions to compensate for the absences, but also to work on the psychological aspect to restore balance to the team, and contain the repercussions of the loss and the events that followed it, so that they do not reflect negatively on the players’ concentration in the decisive stage of the season.