Special CID squad hunts for football hooligan from Dubai match

Police say they have formed a special investigation team to find the football fan who launched a mobile phone battery at the assistant referee during Al Ahli v Al Ain.

Mohammed Al Mehairi, second right, was left bleeding from the head after an Al Ahli fan hit him on the head with a mobile phone battery. Satish Kumar / The National

DUBAI // A special detective squad is hunting the football hooligan who threw a mobile-phone battery at a match official's head.

Referee's assistant Mohammed Al Mehairi needed medical treatment on the pitch as blood poured from a wound after he was struck in the closing minutes of the Al Ahli-Al Ain match at Rashid Stadium in Dubai on Saturday night.

Seconds earlier, Mr Al Mehairi had rejected a penalty claim by Al Ahli. The missile was thrown from among their supporters.

"I strongly reject this act," said Maj Gen Khamis Al Mazeina, deputy head of Dubai Police. "CID has formed an investigation team to find the attacker and bring him to justice."

Al Ahli condemned the rogue fan's behaviour. Club chairman Abdullah Saeed Al Naboodah said it was "the work of an individual and does not represent the great fans of Al Ahli".

The Football Association's disciplinary committee meets this afternoon to discuss the incident. The match was officially abandoned with a couple of minutes to go, with the score 0-0. Awarding a 3-0 win to Al Ain is an option.