GENEVA, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has dismissed an appeal from the United Arab Emirates that Qatar used an ineligible player during their 2019 Asian Cup semi-final victory.
The United Arab Emirates Football Association (UAEFA) protested that Almoez Ali and Bassam Ali Rawi were not eligible to represent Qatar, who won the semifinal 4-0 and went on to lift the Asian Cup for the first time, as their mothers were not born in the country.
The UAEFA claimed they should have been awarded the match due to the alleged ineligibility of Sudan-born Ali, who finished as the tournament's top scorer.
It had dropped its challenge against Al Rawi as he was suspended for the semifinal.
Both the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and its Appeals Committee rejected the appeal from the UAEFA, which took its case to the CAS.
The CAS panel ruled Ali's mother holds dual nationality with Qatar and Sudan but "the player is a Qatari national", which means he was able to represent host Qatar at the tournament when upholding the decision from the AFC Appeals Committee.
Ali finished the competition with a total of nine goals, including a goal each in Qatar's 3-1 triumph against Japan in the final and Qatar's 4-0 rout of the UAE in the semis. Enditem
