Doha: The disciplinary committee of Qatar Football Association announced its decision to suspend its versatile defender Abdelkarim Hassan indefinitely. The player will also be taking a 50% salary cut and be paying a fine of QR200,000 as part of the disciplinary action.
President of Qatar Football Association (QFA) Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Thani in an interview with Al Kass TV stated strict discliplinary action is being taken against Hassan for provoking fans through Snapchat.
According to sources and reports in Arabic media, the disciplinary action from QFA follows his altercation with a fan on SnapChat. When a fan criticised his snap following the national team's exit from the World Cup in Qatar at the group stage, the player responded by commenting, "Relax, do you think it's war". This provoked the national team's fans further making way for his exit from Qatari club Al Sadd. When Hassan and Al Sadd parted way, the club statement said, "This comes due to the player’s outlook not matching the goals and aspirations of the team for the upcoming period."
Qatar Football Association also announced similar disciplinary action against two other national team players Bassam Al-Rawi and Mohamed Waad. Both the players will take a salary cut of 50% along with a financial penalty and a warning. Al-Rawi was issued a fine of QR100,000 while Waad will be penalised for QR50,000.
