Gold Coast, Queensland: A disagreement over the recording of a pre-Asian Cup friendly between the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait led to a last-minute cancellation of the match on Saturday, robbing both teams of vital match practice before the January 9-31 tournament.
The players had lined up in the tunnel ahead of the game on the Gold Coast but it was called off after the UAE refused to agree to Kuwait’s request to record the match.
In a statement on its website, the UAE Football Association said both sides had previously agreed to play the friendly behind closed doors without recording, broadcasting and the presence of the media or public.
“The Kuwaiti delegation has unfortunately declined to adhere to the previous agreement under which an official letter was sent to the Kuwaiti Football Association on December 15, and clearly
stipulated that the match should not be telecast, recorded or open for the media and the public,” it said.
“But, the Kuwaitis insisted on filming the game and this was against the purposes of the technical staff of the UAE national team.”
The differences seemed to have been sorted out with the players lining up in the tunnel but the game did not proceed.
“At this stage, the Kuwaiti team’s manager escalated the situation and threatened that the match could be cancelled unless their requirement is responded to,” the UAE Football Association said. REUTERS
