Leeds to battle Viduka ban

Relegation-threatened Leeds United plan to challenge a FIFA ban on Mark Viduka (pictured) playing against Manchester United this weekend following an Australian soccer protest.

Relegation-threatened Leeds United plan to challenge a FIFA ban on Mark Viduka playing against Manchester United this weekend following an Australian soccer protest.

"Leeds United Football Club is taking legal advice and will explore every available avenue in seeking to redress this potential injustice," Leeds said in a statement on their website.

Leeds said they were "outraged" by the Australian Soccer Association (ASA) who called for a FIFA ban after the striker pulled out of Wednesday's friendly international international against Venezuela in Caracas.

"This decision has shown a complete lack of understanding and compassion towards Mark whose father Joe is still critically ill over in Australia," Leeds added.

Leeds, sinking under 100 million pounds (189m dollars) of debts, pointed out they had no hesitation in allowing Viduka to return to Melbourne for three weeks to be at his sick father's bedside.

And they said that when he returned to England he complained of pain in his lower back and tightness in his hamstrings.

"Leeds United Football Club and Mark Viduka have following his selection for this game been open and honest with ASA and given his loyalty to both club and country it is difficult to understand why such a hard stance has been taken which does not appear consistent with that for those other players who, for whatever reasons, did not travel to Caracas," Leeds said.

"Leeds United Football Club fighting a battle for survival both on and off the pitch, have just 13 games to secure their place in the Premiership."

The ASA said earlier Thursday it would invoke FIFA regulations to ban Viduka and Scott Chipperfield, who plays for Swiss side Basel, from playing in their next European club matches over their failure to play for Australia.

Viduka and Chipperfield, along with Harry Kewell, Brett Emerton, John Aloisi and Josip Skoko missed Australia's 1-1 draw with the South Americans in Caracas on Thursday.

The ASA said it was satified that Kewell, Skoko, Aloisi and Emerton were unable to travel because of injuries which were substantiated by medical reports.

Viduka has been quoted as saying he will walk away from the Socceroos if the ASA enforced a FIFA ban on him for missing the Venezuela international.

ASA said in a statement on Thursday that it was not satisfied Viduka had sustained an injury which would have prevented him from playing in Caracas.

Chipperfield did not connect with a flight from Madrid to Caracas on Monday and instead of taking one of two alternative flights suggested to him he returned to Switzerland.