Schalke consider Drogba appeal

21 Feb 2013 12:18:00

S04 may contact Uefa to question whether the striker was eligible for their Champions League clash with Galatasaray, though the Turkish club insist they have adhered to regulations

Schalke have confirmed they plan to appeal to Uefa over Galatasaray playing Didier Drogba in their 1-1 Champions League draw on Wednesday at the Turk Telecom Arena.

The Gelsenkirchen club believe the Cote d’Ivoire international is not properly registered to play in the European competition for Fatih Terim’s side.

Fifa ratified the switch from Shanghai Shenhua despite the Chinese club’s protests, but it is possible their last-16 German opponents are protesting over a separate licence-to-play issue.

"There are doubts about the validity of the permission to play for Drogba in the Champions League," the Bundesliga club announced on their official Twitter account.

"Schalke reserves its rights and is looking into this."

The former Chelsea striker joined Galatasaray on an 18-month contract in the last few days of the January transfer window, leaving Shanghai Shenhua on a free transfer as they had been deemed not to have paid his wages.

Schalke general manager Horst Heldt claimed on Thursday "it would be irresponsible not to do this [launch an appeal]."

However, Gala have moved to deny any wrongdoing, with president Ali Durust confident that the Istanbul club are well within their rights to field the player in European competition.

He added: "We fulfill the Uefa and Fifa obligations for the licence. There won't be any problem about the issue."

Drogba did not have much of an effect on the scoreline on Wednesday as Burak Yilmaz's opening goal was cancelled out by Jermaine Jones' equaliser, and the two teams fought the remainder of the match on level terms.

Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25
Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200
Sign up to Paddy Power for £250 in free bets

Inside Goal.Com

Inside Celtic: End of season review
With just the Scottish Cup final left before the summer break, Inside Celtic looks back on a memorable season for Neil Lennon's men
Top 10 all-time Champions League scorers
As the competition moves within days of its much-anticipated conclusion at Wembley, Goal profiles the most prolific players in its history
'Mario, you will never redeem yourself'
Mario Gotze's injury means the playmaker has now played his final game for Borussia Dortmund. In an open letter, a fan tells of his emotion at his controversial switch to Bayern
BVB's rise from the abyss to European contenders
BVB have recovered from teetering on the edge of bankruptcy to take their place on Europe's grandest stage, humbling their opponents on Saturday, Bayern Munich, along the way
Transfer Talk: Terry and Nani wanted by Galatasaray
Get your daily dose of all the speculation from around the globe as clubs cast their eye towards summer reinforcements

Goal.com