UAE International Abdullah Qassem Allegedly Jailed for Insulting National Coach

Abdullah Qassem, a United Arab Emirates international footballer, has reportedly been slapped with a three-month jail sentence after being found guilty of insulting national team manager Mahdi Ali.

That's according to the National, cited by Reuters (h/t the Guardian), which states the 29-year-old was handed his sentence at the Abu Dhabi Court of Misdemeanours on Monday.

According to the report, Qassem made indecent remarks and gestures in relation to Ali in a video after he wasn't included in the UAE team.

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Another unnamed individual, who plays alongside Qassem for Al-Dhafra in the UAE Arabian Gulf League, has been handed the same three-month jail sentence. The club had already suspended both of the players in question as part of the investigation.

They were found guilty of "using telecommunications services to offend and hurt the feelings of others, and displaying a recording that breached public ethics through the internet."

Qassem's lawyer is said to have stated his client is a victim rather than a perpetrator, as he had no intention for the video to circulate in the public domain. Qassem's representative also suggested Ali had not intended to take any action against the player in light of the video's emergence.

According to Soccerway, Qassem has made three appearances for the national team so far, his most recent coming in a 4-2 win against Lebanon in February 2012 as part of the qualification process for the 2014 World Cup. Ali has been in charge of the Emirati national team since July 2012.