UAE denies arresting UK citizen over Qatar shirt row

British media say Ahmad was arrested for wearing Qatar football team shirt in UAE

By Mohamed al-Rayes

ABU DHABI (AA) - The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Wednesday denied reports about arresting a British citizen for wearing a Qatar football team shirt.

British newspaper said that Ali Issa Ahmad, 26, from Wolverhampton, was arrested after wearing the Qatari shirt to a football match in the Gulf country.

But the UAE Embassy in London said Ahmad was detained after he claimed that he had been assaulted by fans for wearing the Qatari football shirt. Medical test, however, showed that the British citizen had caused the injuries by himself.

The embassy said that the British citizen has been charged with wasting police time and making false statements.

The UAE is a member of a Saudi-led bloc that severed diplomatic and trade ties with Qatar in June of 2017, accusing Doha of supporting terrorism.

Qatar has vociferously denied the accusations, describing the Saudi-led embargo as a violation of international law and its national sovereignty.

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