Al Jazira's Romarinho detained at Doha Airport, may miss Al Ain clash in Arabian Gulf Cup

Denzil Pinto 21:43 04/10/2017
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  • Al Jazira could be without Romarinho for Friday’s Arabian Gulf Cup match against Al Ain after the Brazilian was detained in Qatar on Wednesday with the club threatening to report the case to FIFA if it’s not resolved by end of Thursday.

    Reports emerged on social media that Romarinho, 26, was detained at Doha International Airport on Wednesday after travelling to settle payments owed by his former club El Jaish. The Brazilian moved to The Pride of Abu Dhabi this summer on a free transfer following April’s liquidation of El Jaish.

    A club source confirmed the attacking winger was stopped in Doha having failed to turn up for training on Wednesday after being given Tuesday off. They are hopeful there is a solution, although they will get FIFA involved if that’s not the case.

    “He went to Qatar yesterday (Tuesday) for one day leave and they stopped him today at the airport,” the source said. “But we don’t know the reason why they stopped him. We have given 24 hours to resolve this issue for the authorities. If this is not resolved, we will go up to the highest level in FIFA.”

    It’s the latest chapter in a political saga that has been running for almost four months since the UAE and a number of Gulf countries severed ties with Qatar in June.

    Surprisingly, Al Jazira head coach Henk Ten Cate seemed unaware of Romarinho’s situation when quizzed during the pre-match press conference but the Dutchman felt sorry for the summer arrival.

    “Even if he gets on the flight and gets back, he’s missed two days of training,” said the 62-year-old.

    “He’s not going to start. This must have been an emotional thing for this guy. Can you imagine that you’re stuck somewhere and you cannot leave? It’s an emotional issue. I’ll have to speak to him first and see how he feels. I don’t know nothing about this and only in the training session I only knew something about this.

    “The focus should lie on the football and concentrate on the football match against Al Ain. For me this is very important. How sorry I feel for Romarinho, my main interest goes to my team.”

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