UAE FA kick two players out of national camp with heavy fines for misconduct
The United Arab Emirates Football Association has suspended defender Khalid Al-Dhanhani and forward Sultan Adel for five domestic matches and fined each player 500,000 AED ($136,132.21) on Sunday for misconduct during a national team training camp.
The players have left the camp with immediate effect due to a violation of disciplinary rules and will not travel with the squad to Kyrgyzstan for Tuesday's final third round match of Asia's World Cup 2026 qualifiers.
"The disciplinary committee of the UAE Football Association has decided to suspend Sharjah player Khalid Al-Dhanhani and Shabab Al-Ahli player Sultan Adil for five domestic matches, and to impose a fine of Dh500,000 on each," the UAE FA said in a statement on Sunday.
"They have also been removed from the senior national team list after committing a violation inside the national team training camp on June 7."
With Iran and Uzbekistan qualifying for the World Cup after securing the top two spots in Group A, UAE will move into the fourth round of Asian qualifying along with Qatar, with the two Gulf teams set to finish third or fourth.
In this round, group winners will earn direct qualification for the 2026 World Cup, while runners-up will proceed to the fifth round for another shot at reaching the finals. REUTERS
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