A former teammate of Abdelkarim Hassan came to his defence amid legal action against the the star-studded footballer.

In an interview that has yet to be aired by winwinallsports, Qatar’s Boualem Khoukhi defended the reputation of his former teammate Abdelkarim Hassan.

“Show some respect to Abdelkarim Hassan. I hope the club doesn’t punish me for saying this,” the 32-year-old Al Sadd voiced in the short teaser.

The Abdelkarim Hassan saga has caught the country in a debate after his former club Al Sadd voiced it would take legal action against its ex player after the defender signed with Kuwait’s Al Jahra SC.

The famed team sounded on its social media channels that the 2018 Asian Footballer of the Year “unilaterally early terminated his employment contract with Al Sadd FC without any just cause and/or valid reason.”

“Al Sadd FC has therefore already given mandate to their lawyers to take all relevant legal actions against the player Abdul Karim Hassan and any third club for protecting their own image and interest,” the club added.

The news incited a response from Hassan’s attorney Ali Abbas who asserted there would be a complaint to FIFA against Al Sadd SC.

“I know at the end, the final decision will be in favour for everyone,” Abbas voiced to the Al Kass presenters.

Word of the 29-year-old’s transfer to Kuwait came after Hassan faced indefinite suspension along with a deduction of 50% of his salary and a fine of 200,000 QAR in January by QFA.

The basis for the suspension and fine, along with the eventual dropping of the left-back, was initiated after rising criticism over his dedication to the Qatari football team following its early World Cup exit.

When questioned on Snapchat by a frustrated fan following Qatar’s exit from the tournament, the footballer nonchalantly said, “Calm down. Do you think this is a war?”