Abdullah Qassem, a United Arab Emirates (UAE) international, has slapped with a three-month jail sentence after being found guilty of insulting national team manager Mahdi Ali.
The 29-year-old was handed his sentence at the Abu Dhabi court of misdemeanours on Monday, according to Reuters.
Qassem was reported to have made indecent remarks and gestures in relation to Ali – who has been in charge of the Emirati national team since July 2012 – in a video after he wasn’t included in the UAE team.
Another unnamed individual, who plays alongside Qassem for Al-Dhafra in the UAE Arabian Gulf League, has been handed the same three-month jail sentence.
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The club had already suspended both of the players in question as part of the investigation.
They were found guilty of “using telecommunications services to offend and hurt the feelings of others, and displaying a recording that breached public ethics through the internet”.
Qassem’s lawyer stated that his client is a victim rather than a perpetrator, as he had no intention for the video to circulate in the public domain.
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His representative also suggested that the coach had not intended to take any action against the player in light of the video’s emergence.
Qassem has made three appearances for the national team with his most recent coming in a 4-2 win against Lebanon in February 2012 as part of the qualification process for the 2014 World Cup.
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