Jorge Valdivia, Al Wahda's marquee signing, will miss Friday's derby against city rivals Al Jazira after he was handed a two-match ban and fined Dh15,000 by the UAE Football Association's Disciplinary Committee.
The Chile international was caught on camera for an inappropriate hand gesture, videos of which appeared on social media, after their 1-0 defeat to Al Shabab in the Arabian Gulf League at the Al Nahyan stadium on Sunday.
Read more: Jorge Valdivia defends 'joke' gesture made during Al Wahda debut
Valdivia was the subject of some harsh treatment from the Shabab players, but at half time he seemed to direct his frustrations at the crowd.
Wahda released a statement on their official site seeking to explain the gesture.
“Jorge Valdivia has insisted that the hand signal he gave at half time in the match between Al Wahda and Al Shabab was directed at a group of his friends who had attended the match, and at no one else,” the statement read.
“He added that it is a sign that is regularly exchanged between friends in Brazil and Portugal as a joke and does not hold any negative intentions.”
But that did not stop the UAE FA from imposing the ban and the penalty.
apassela@thenational.ae
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