Suhaib Salem/Reuters
Two days after fans in the United Arab Emirates threw shoes at rival players during a 4-0 loss in the semifinals to Qatar at the Asian Cup, the country’s soccer federation has taken direct aim at the team itself.
Organizers of the Asian Cup said on Thursday that they would respond to an official complaint lodged by Emirates soccer officials, who charged that two members of the Qatari team were ineligible to play in the region’s biggest tournament.
The players — Almoez Ali, a Sudan-born striker, and Bassam al-Rawi, a defender born in Iraq — are fixtures in Qatar’s lineup.