Al Hilal withdraw from the Saudi Super Cup
Al Hilal finished the recent Saudi Pro League season second behind champions Al-Ittihad in late May, having been knocked out of the King's Cup quarter-finals and AFC Champions League elite semis.
The Riyadh-based club then headed to the United States, where they kicked off their Club World Cup campaign on June 18 against giants Real Madrid.
They made it to the knockout stages, where they stunned Manchester City in the last 16 before losing to Fluminense in the quarter-finals on July 4.
The Saudi Super Cup is to be held between August 19-23 in Hong Kong, with the league campaign usually getting underway in late August.
Their CWC campaign and following flight complications "reduced the players' annual leave to only 24 days in the event of withdrawal, and to 21 days if the club participated in the Super Cup," with the rules granting them "a minimum of 28 days of annual leave," the club said in a statement.
Al Hilal were forced to postpone their pre-season preparations, "which further increased the competitive imbalance among participating clubs," the statement ran citing a letter sent to the local soccer federation.
The Saudi federation (SAFF) said, in response, they "will begin taking the necessary measures in accordance with the relevant rules and regulations through the relevant committees," without providing more details.
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