UAE denies British man detained for showing Qatar support

The United Arab Emirates dismissed reports it had detained a British man for showing support for Qatar at a soccer tournament in the UAE, saying he had been charged for making false assault claims to police.

Britain's Guardian newspaper reported that Ali Issa Ahmed was held after being accused of showing sympathy to Qatar after wearing a shirt of their national soccer team to an Asian Cup match in the Gulf Arab state.

Showing sympathy towards Qatar has been a criminal offence in the UAE since June 2017 when it, along with Saudi Arabia and other Arab states, cut ties with Qatar over allegations it supports terrorism. Doha denies the charges.