Al Wahda's Bawazir suffers neck injury in Cairo loss

Al Wahda's young midfielder Khalid Bawazir faces a race against time to be fit for the start of the new season after suffering a neck injury in the opening fixture of the Arab Club Championship in Cairo, Egypt.

The 22-year-old UAE international, who joined the squad along with three other Olympic team members - Mohamed Hassan Al Shamsi, Mohammad Abdul Basit and Mohamed Rashid Al Hammadi, after their commitments in the AFC Under-23 Championship China 2018 Qualifiers, suffered a neck fracture during the match against Algerian club NA Hussein Dey at the Al Salam Stadium, on Saturday night.

Bawazir suffered the injury with three minutes left in the first half and was attended to by the club's medical staff before being stretchered off. Nasser Abdulhadi came in his place.

Bawazir, capped three times by the UAE National team, returned to Abu Dhabi for further medical examinations and start treatment.

The club later said that Bawazir had suffered a fracture in one of the neck vertebrae and will be out for a month or two.

"Khalid Bawazir has suffered a fracture in one of the neck vertebrae and will need a rest period ranging from one to two months. We wish him a quick recovery," the club said on their official twitter handle on Sunday.

Bawazir had spent a season on loan with Dubai-based Al Wasl before returning to The Clarets. He made 23 appearances for The Cheetahs, scoring seven goals.

Al Wahda, who were reduced to 10 men following Argentine striker Sebastian Tagliabue's sending off, lost the Group A game 2-0.

Toufik Addadi had given NA Hussein Dey the lead on 10 minutes and Ahmed Gasmi added the second on 45 minutes. The Algerian side too were reduced to 10 men after Hocine El Orfi too was given marching orders after his skirmish with Tagliabue.

Meanwhile, in the second game, Jordan League champions Al Faisaly stunned Egyptian Premier League champions Al Ahly by a solitary goal. Yousef Al Rawashdeh scored the match-winner on 55 minutes.

Al Faisaly meet NA Hussein Dey in the first match on Tuesday, while Al Wahda take on Al Ahly later on the night.

Meanwhile, Al Wahda club chairman Ahmed Mohammed Al Rumaithi said it was unfair to rush into a judgement as the squad had just begun preparations for the new season.

"There are challenges as well as some positives. We have just started preparations for the new season and we have a new coach in Laurentiu Reghecampf. We are also missing a few players due to various reasons. But, at the same time, this is a good opportunity for the new coach to know the team and also a good chance for the players, who have been given the chance, to make a mark," tweeted Al Rumaithi.

Source: Khaleej Times