ABU DHABI // A man tried to murder a teenager who fought with his brother over a game of football, a court heard this week.
Tunisian AY drove to a football pitch at about 11pm on Thursday after his younger brother phoned him to say he was arguing with other teenagers, the Criminal Court was told.
The row started when the boys failed to agree who should kick off and players on opposing teams started hitting each other.
They had stopped by the time the Tunisian got there but his arrival sparked more fighting.
One of the players, AA, said he saw the Tunisian drive his car at a teenager, SM. He said it looked like the Tunisian intended to run down the boy, but missed and sped away instead.
The accused told the court a gang of about 16 boys had surrounded his car and were trying to attack him. He denied trying to run anyone over, saying he was merely trying to stay safe.
He did not know the boys and alerted police to the incident as soon as he left the car park.
The Tunisian's lawyer said it was impossible to ascertain what really happened.
"The boys are all friends and their statements conflicted," the lawyer said. "[AY] is the only odd one out, it is possible they will gang up on him."
The lawyer asked for the teenager's medical reports. The case was adjourned until Thursday.
