Hassan Al-Haydos, Al Sadd’s team captain, abstains from speaking to the media after colleague Akram Afif was banned and fined.

Qatar’s national team captain Hassan Haydos appeared to take a firm stand against a decision made by the country’s footballing body on Monday, just a day after his colleague was banned and fined.

Haydos, who also captains the local Al Sadd football team, refused to answer questions by an Al Kass journalist in post-game interview, without providing a reason.

“People will understand,” Haydos said when asked by the journalist why he was upset.

While no explanation was provided, his protest was quickly linked to a decision announced by the Qatar Footballing Association earlier that targeted Al Sadd’s Akram Afif, who made comments against a referee following a match against Al Rayyan.

Afif appeared to make hints that the referee was biased towards the opposing team, saying his team was playing “against 11 and a half players”.

Read also: Al Sadd’s Akram Afif penalised for post-game comments

The referee “did not provide us protection against rough play by Al Rayyan’s players”, Afif said, noting the official was also wearing “black shorts and socks” similar to the opposing team.

The QFA’s decision ruled the comments were a violation of Articles No. 77/4 and 3-9/1 of the Discipline Regulations for the 2020-2021 sports season, which stipulates all those who make statements “that harm the federation or the management of the Qatar Stars League or any club or contradict their interests through the media or social media” face a penalty.

Haydos’ stance sparked debate on social media with some condemning his protest while others showing support.

Both Afif and Haydos are two of the most prominent football players in Qatar and made global headlines for their performance at the Asian Football Confederation [AFC], which saw Qatar take the win.

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