UAE player sent to jail for video insulting national team coach

Abdullah Qassem celebrates his goal with his teammates against Saudi Arabia's Al-Hilal in 2011.

The UAE international Abdullah Qassem has been served with a three-month jail sentence after being found guilty of insulting national team coach Mahdi Ali, Guardian reported. Qassem made indecent remarks and gestures in relation to Ali in a video after he was left out of the UAE team.

The 29-year-old, who plays for Al-Dahfra in the UAE Arabian Gulf league, was slapped with a three-month sentence along with a second unnamed player from the same club by the Abu Dhabi Court of Misdemeanours. The club has already suspended both of the players in question as part of the investigation.

Previously, the duo were found guilty of using telecommunications services to offend and hurt the feelings of others. Qassem and his teammate were also caught displaying a recording that breached public ethics through the internet.

The Al-Dahfra player’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. Qassem’s representative also suggested the national coach had not intended to sue the player in light of the video’s emergence.

Throughout his entire career, Qassem has scored 5 league goals and has so far made only three appearances for his national team. His most recent appearance came in a 4-2 win against Lebanon in February 2012 as part of the qualification process for the 2014 World Cup. Ali has been in charge of the Emirati national team since July 2012.

This is not the first time a player has publicly insulted his own respected manager. Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane’s alleged comments about Republic of Ireland manager Mick McCarthy grabbed the headlines all over the world before the start of World 2002.

Keane was said to have claimed: "You were a crap player, you are a crap manager. The only reason I have any dealings with you is that somehow you are manager of my country and you're not even Irish, you English ****. You can stick it up your b*******."

Following his alleged remarks about the manager, Keane was left out of Ireland’s 2002 World Cup squad.

In another instance, it was the other way round, of a manager insulting his own player in front of the media. Then, manager of Southampton, David Jones made his feelings about Carlton Palmer pretty clear by saying that “he covers every blade of grass just because his first touch is c**p.”