Al Wasl have announced they would reject dealing with any Qatar “club, institution or sports body” following reports that forward Fabio De Lima would be sold to Al Rayyan.
The announcement from the Arabian Gulf League side, which came late on Saturday, comes in the wake of the boycott of Qatar by the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt since June 5, citing the country’s alleged support of terrorism. Yemen and the Maldives have also severed relations.
Last week, it emerged that Al Rayyan, a club in the Qatar Stars League, had made a bid to sign De Lima for €10m (Dh42.1m), although Wasl denied any offer was made.
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The Dubai side stated also that they would not even consider doing business with a Qatari club.
De Lima, 24, is considered the side’s standout star after the Brazilian was last season voted the Arabian Gulf League’s best foreign player. He scored 25 goals to finish second to Ali Mabkhout in the race for the Golden Boot.
A statement from Al Wasl read: “Al Wasl Sports Club has been throughout its history and will always be a symbol of patriotism and a part of the national movement. It is committed to everything our wise leadership does and stands behind it.
“Al Wasl never fails to fulfill its duties towards the homeland and our leadership, towards a state that has tried to undermine the stability of our country and our security - a state that has intervened in the internal affairs of the countries of the region and sought to destabilise security and stability, with the aim of spreading chaos and destruction and undermining our internal security.
“The club does not intend to dispense with the services of the player, especially to the Qatari clubs. It is our responsibility to categorically reject dealing with any club, institution or sports body in Qatar in any way.”
