Amouri's Contract Was Not Terminated Because he is ‘Yemeni’
The Claim
Emirati footballer Amouri had his contract terminated is because he is Yemeni.
News posted on
Emerging story
Omar Abdulrahman is also known as Amouri is an Emirati football player of Yemeni descent, famous for playing for the Abu Dhabi-based football club Al Jazira. His contract with the club was terminated with mutual consent on Monday. Claims on social media have been circulating that the reason behind the termination, according to Amouri, is that he is Yemeni. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) was initially involved in the Yemeni war before withdrawing in 2019, however, relations between the two countries are still tense. It may be that this misinformation is to further cause tension between the two countries or imply that Yemenis in the UAE do not get fair treatment.
Misbar’s Analysis
Although Amouri’s contract was in fact terminated consensually by both parties, the reasoning behind it is false. Misbar's investigation found that the contract was not terminated due to Amouri’s nationality but rather due to financial reasons. Despite the negotiations, the two parties could not agree. Al Jazira Club emphasized that despite this, Amouri received all his financial compensation entitled to him after leaving the team. Another source cited technical reasons stating that the player “only participated in the first half of the current season” in only two matches, with a total of 117 minutes. It appears more likely that Amouri who is one of the highest-paid players at the club, has had a knee injury since October 2020 and is not expected to recover for another 2 months, by which time the season would be over, so it did not make financial sense for Al Jazira to keep him. Moreover, the Misbar team could find no credible sources to confirm that the player's nationality had anything to do with the termination of his contract.
Amouri shortly after the termination news tweeted, thanking Al Jazira Club for the opportunity and wishing the club and its fans good luck. While Al Jazira Football Club shared news of the mutual termination without citing the reasons, thanked the player and wished him success in his professional and personal career. Amouri is currently a free player with an offer from another UAE football club Al Wahda.
