UAE police detain British national for wearing Qatar shirt to Asian Cup match

It is no secret that the UAE went to extraordinary lengths to make sure that Qatar did not have any fan support on the ground during the AFC Asian Cup competition,

But despite their best efforts, Qatar went on to beat the UAE 4-0 in the semifinal before overpowering Japan 3-1 for the title.

Now, reports are coming out that the UAE has detained a British national for wearing a Qatar shirt to the nation’s quarterfinal match against Iraq.

British man arrested in UAE for wearing Qatar football shirt. Man says he was also assaulted by UAE forces, then was accused of lying to officials after he reported the assault to police https://t.co/2thMxo0Xd9 thx for find @a_e_hassan

— Justin D. Martin (@Justin_D_Martin) February 5, 2019

The Brit football fan has been arrested and continue to be detained by authorities, reported The Guardian.

According to the widely respected UK-based daily, 26-year-old Ali Issa Ahmad, a native of Wolverhampton, travelled to the UAE for a holiday in January. While there, he got a ticket for the Asian Cup match between Qatar and Iraq on January 22.

Ahmad wore a Qatar shirt to the match not knowing that doing so in the UAE was an offence punishable with a hefty fine and an extended period of imprisonment.

"He just went to watch a football match while he was on holiday in UAE and says he was arrested and beaten after being accused of wearing a football shirt which promoted Qatar" - #UAE's Year of Tolerance seems to be going well...https://t.co/BLsyDTZxxO

— Geordie Hazeel (@george_a_robin) February 5, 2019

After his initial arrest, he was held over claims that he made false allegations about security officials, a friend of Ahmad told The Guardian.

The UAE embassy said it was investigating the circumstances of the arrest and the Foreign Office (FCO) said it was offering support.

Arsenal fan arrested in UAE for wearing a Qatar shirt. https://t.co/xc7ItWEkNr

— Jakarta Casual (@JakartaCasual) February 5, 2019

Ahmad, who was granted one phone call on January 31, was able to call his friend Amer Lokie and raise the alarm.

“This is just unspeakable. He just went to watch a football match while he was on holiday in UAE and says he was arrested and beaten after being accused of wearing a football shirt which promoted Qatar. When he managed to call me officials were sitting next to him so he couldn’t say too much,” Loki said.

“It seems he was released after being detained, assaulted by the security men in the car and accused of promoting Qatar. He went to the police station to report the assault and was charged with telling lies about the incident.

“We’re not clear about exactly what happened next, but he’s been held because he’s accused of making false allegations against UAE security officials. He said he’s being held in a place called Al Sharjar,” added Loki.

“He didn’t sound good when he spoke to me on the phone. He was speaking very slowly, and he sounded terrified,” said the friend.

Lokie said Ahmad’s phone had been taken by officials and wiped, adding that his friend had told him he was held in a small room for two days.

A UAE embassy spokesperson said: “The United Arab Emirates embassy is looking into allegations that a British citizen has been detained. The UAE is a nation built on the rule of law and respect for individuals. We take any allegation of human rights violations extremely seriously — whether it concerns one of our citizens, or any of the 1.5m Britons who visit us each year.”