UAE players fined and banned; clubs support FA decision

Post by : Bianca Suleiman

Two players from the UAE national football team, Khalid Al Dhanhani and Sultan Adil, have been fined and banned for bad behavior during their national team duties. The UAE Football Association (FA) announced on Sunday that both players were punished for misconduct.

Each player was fined 500,000 dirhams and removed from the team. The squad was traveling to Kyrgyzstan on Sunday night for a World Cup qualifying match. Besides being removed from the national team, both players will also miss five matches in their local club games.

The FA did not share the exact details of what the players did wrong. However, the clubs of both players have supported the FA’s decision.

Khalid Al Dhanhani posted a message on social media asking people to forgive him. He is a key player for the UAE team and usually plays as a right-back for Sharjah club. Al Dhanhani was part of the starting team when the UAE drew 0-0 with Uzbekistan in Abu Dhabi. This result stopped the UAE from qualifying directly for the World Cup. Now, they must play extra matches to try and qualify for the World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico next year.

The new UAE coach, Cosmin Olaroiu, does not have much time to work with the team before the next important match in October. Losing two important players is a big problem for him.

Al Dhanhani used to play under Olaroiu when he was the coach of Sharjah. Sharjah club said they agree with the FA’s decision and will look into the issue themselves. In a statement, Sharjah said they respect the FA’s rules and will take their own disciplinary actions. The club said representing the country is a great honor, and players must behave well and be disciplined. Sharjah also promised to keep helping their players be good examples both on and off the field.

Sultan Adil, a striker for Shabab Al Ahli club, has had some injuries, especially a knee problem, which kept him from playing much. But when he did play, he made a big impact. For example, he scored an important winning goal after coming off the bench against North Korea. That goal helped the UAE continue in the qualifiers.

Shabab Al Ahli also said they will take necessary disciplinary steps against Adil. Their statement said they strongly reject any bad behavior that breaks the rules of the national team or FA. The club said they will keep supporting the national team and want their players to show respect, discipline, and good sportsmanship because they represent the whole country.

The UAE team will train once at the Spartak Stadium in Bishkek on Monday before playing their match against Kyrgyzstan there on Tuesday night.