Why wearing a Barcelona shirt could land you in jail in the UAE
What’s the story?
UAE’s hostility towards the Qataris have even spread to the extent of football shirts, after the country, one among the other six, cut off their diplomatic ties with the Qatar over claims of supporting extremist terrorist groups. Barcelona have had Qatar Airways as their shirt sponsor since 2013 and reports now suggest that people who are spotted wearing the club’s colours could face a fine of up to £110,000 or 15 years in prison.
In case you didn’t know
In 2011, Barcelona agreed a historic deal with Qatar sports investment to put a sponsor’s logo on their shirt for the first time in 111 years and it looks like this is facing collateral damage due to the ongoing crisis. Qatar have denied all allegations linking them to supporting armed militant groups but that seems to have no impact on the situation as all of UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain, Libya, Yemen and the Maldives have already closed its airspace to all flights to and fro from Doha. Earlier this week, UAE had also announced that social media posts that reach out in support to Qatar are also punishable by three to 15 years in prison, or a fine of at least 500,000 AED (US$135,000).
Qatar Airways and Al Jazeera news agency are the high profile companies who are caught between this diplomatic spat between the gulf nations. The countries have also blacklisted 59 individuals and 12 entities who they believe to have linked the nation of Qatar to various terrorist groups.
Heart of the matter
Qatar’s food security could also face jeopardy as Saudi Arabia, the only country they share a land border with, cut off diplomatic relations and transport links in the wake of the incident. Freedom of movement within the country has also been restricted with Qatar ordering Saudi, Egyptian, Bahraini, Libyan, Yemeni and Emirati citizens to leave the country within 14 days.
There are also reports that the 2022 World Cup scheduled to happen in Qatar, could be at risk considering the fact that a few of the constructional projects will also face a shortage of supplies.
Reactions
A photo posted online displaying extreme Anti-Qatari censorship in one of the shopping malls in UAE.
Qatar Airways also made a statement that said, "All customers booked on affected flights to and from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will be provided with alternative options, including the option of a full refund on any unused tickets and free rebooking to the nearest alternative Qatar Airways network destination.”
Author’s take
The Barcelona shirt with their new sponsor is out now and you may want to consider buying it quickly if you’re planning to don the club’s famous red-and-blue colours in the UAE.