Qatar insists on Madbouli's safe participation... Bahrain protests

The Qatar Football Association announced that Assem Madibo’s participation against Bahrain in “Gulf Cup 27” was legal, as the tournament matches are considered friendly and do not count toward the fulfillment of a suspension imposed by FIFA.

Qatari sources told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that the Qatari FA had appealed to FIFA to count Gulf Cup matches as official for the purpose of serving the suspension. However, FIFA rejected this request, specifying that only World Cup matches, Asian Cup matches, and their qualifiers are considered official. Consequently, the Qatari national team included Madibo, with the understanding that he would serve the remainder of his suspension in upcoming official competitions.

This development follows an official protest lodged by the Bahraini FA against its Gulf counterpart after the two teams’ match on the 24th. Bahrain argued that Madibo was suspended for five matches by FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee and that his absence in the match against Bosnia and Herzegovina had already counted toward that suspension. Bahrain demanded an urgent verification of Madibo’s eligibility, contact with FIFA and Qatar to obtain the suspension ruling and details of the matches counted, and the suspension of the match result’s approval.

In response, the Qatari FA maintains the validity of its position, citing prior correspondence with FIFA that clarified which matches count toward serving the suspension.