كتب : حاتم ماهر | السبت، 14 أغسطس 2010 - 17:10

Dear Standard, please punish Meteb

Standard Liege will do Egyptian football a huge favor if they opt against reaching any out-of-court settlement with want-away striker Emad Meteb, who should pay for an inexplicable breach of contract.

The former Ahli marksman had a golden chance to make a name for himself in Europe when he joined Belgian side Standard Liege on a free transfer but he stunningly wasted it to land himself in hot water.

He returned to Cairo and decided not to play with Standard without disclosing any reasons for his weird and unprofessional action that could further tarnish the image of Egyptian footballers.

There are now two possible outcomes – he could reach an agreement with the club over a compensation package or be suspended and fined for failing to honor the contract he recently signed.

Meteb would definitely go for the first option that will almost see him come through the whole saga unscathed.

In that case, he will probably rejoin Ahli, who are in dire need of strikers, in the January transfer window and get a very warm reception from the enthusiastic Red fans.

Everything would be so perfect for Meteb as if he did nothing wrong.

Many Egyptian players relish the opportunity of playing in a European league and they could follow in the footsteps of Meteb if he was not sanctioned.

They may sign contracts and then change their minds when they find out that they can not adjust to life in Europe. A chaotic situation will result and Egyptian players will find it very difficult to attract European suitors even if they are very talented.

But if Standard choose the second option, things will be very different.

If they take the matter to world governing body FIFA, they will make an example out of Meteb because he will be heavily fined and suspended for around six months and such punishment could even cost him a return to Ahli.

It will be a warning to fellow Egyptian players that such antics will never be tolerated.

Standard's current stance is encouraging. They launched an attack on Meteb on their website and their chairman refused to sit down with the player's agent Nader Shawki to discuss any solutions.

I hope they will stand firm and pursue their rights because the culprits should get what they really deserve.

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