UAE Crown Prince splashes out extravagant spending, preventing Qatari fans from entering the stadium.
Tensions in the Middle East, particularly in the relationship between the UAE and Qatar, are creating numerous difficulties for football fans...
Currently, diplomatic relations between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar are strained. Amidst this instability, officials from the host country of the 2019 Asian Cup have decided to purchase almost all the tickets for the semi-final match between the two teams (estimated at around 40,000), in order to minimize the number of opposing fans attending the match.
The Abu Dhabi Sports Council (UAE) has also announced that Crown Prince Nahyan bin Zayed has purchased and reserved all tickets for the upcoming semi-final match of the home team, as a gift to loyal fans of the national football team.
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According to The National, a UAE news website, all foreign fans attempting to purchase tickets for the upcoming match have been denied entry in an effort to make the upcoming clash between the two neighboring countries exclusively for local residents.
Previously, around 1,000 Omani fans reportedly announced their support for Qatar in the semi-final match. This was something the UAE – one of the four countries boycotting Qatar – did not want and may have been the reason why they immediately bought up all the tickets.
Football fans are still waiting to see what action FIFA will take after its regulations were seriously violated. According to FIFA rules, a certain number of tickets for a match must be allocated to the away team.
The 2019 Asian Cup semi-final match between Qatar and UAE will take place at 9 PM (Vietnam time) on January 29th at the Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium.