ABU DHABI // The UAE national football team faces disciplinary action after match officials and opposing team players were pelted with missiles during a World Cup qualifier against North Korea. The match was stopped for five minutes when dozens of water bottles and fruit juice cartons were thrown onto the pitch after North Korea scored a second goal. At one point a North Korean player receiving treatment was struck by a carton and a linesman had to dodge missiles.
The behaviour was branded uncivilised and unpatriotic as authorities and fans condemned the scenes 10 minutes from the end of Saturday's home qualifier at Mohammed bin Zayed stadium. North Korea went on to win the game 2-1. The UAE Football Association is to investigate the incident, and sources confirmed the Asian Football Confederation would wait for the referee's report before deciding what action to take against the UAE. Police said the sale of water would now be banned during international matches.
Lt Col Rashid Suhail, the head of a special task force with Abu Dhabi Police, said new measures would be implemented at the stadium in time for the UAE's second group qualifying game against Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. Describing the scene, he said: "The crowd reacted in a bad way to the goal and started throwing water bottles, so security stopped the game. "Both the police and security spoke to the head of the supporters' groups who then spoke with the crowd and asked them to stop throwing bottles."
Obeid al Muhairi, an FNC member from Sharjah, said: "There should not be fanatic behaviour in football. The ball may roll once for you but it also runs against you. You can't be the winner all the time. "People had high expectations and their reaction was violent because of the Olympic Games results. It was like putting salt on the wound. But this doesn't, of course, justify the reaction. It's bad behaviour, uncivilised, and doesn't show any sense of belonging to the nation."
