Two fans of rival football clubs are being investigated by Abu Dhabi Public Prosecution after they exchanged "offensive" and "insulting" messages over social media platforms that violate the country’s cybercrime laws.
The fans are accused of exchanging inappropriate language on social media and officials from two local football fan clubs were ordered on Monday to check the accounts involved to find evidence as part of the investigations.
A statement from the public prosecution said: “Public morality and respecting others should be considered when exercising freedom of speech or criticism."
They said all practices that violate public order, morality and misuse modern technologies, especially social media, will be addressed firmly as part of the office's role in protecting the social, moral and religious values of society.
The public were warned against publishing audible, readable or visual content that could be considered harmful to society as they will be risking legal action.
Fans of the game said the incident was not a common one as rivalries rarely make it off the pitch.
“Not all of us have good sportsmanship and some get very angry after their club is defeated. Some verbal clashes can happen in the field, but not afterwards,” said Adel Al Bloushi, 28, a Fujairah club fan.
“We make funny comments about the players and coaches, but not in an offensive way, respecting the other teams is part of the game. It’s not only about winning and losing,” he said.
Mr Al Bloushi said most of the fans use Instagram to express their feelings and share opinions before and after the game.
“We share videos of the match, photos and press releases and we remind each other about the upcoming games. We also share our thoughts on the players' performances, but never use bad language as its inappropriate, disrespectful and against the law.”
Another fan said sometimes in big football matches, verbal clashes can happen but what happens in the game, stays in the game.
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Ahmad Khalifa, a fan of Al Wasl Football club, said: “We don’t hold the anger inside after the game – we just forget about losing and prepare to cheer for our team during the next game."
The 25-year-old Emirati said sometimes silly language is used, but not offensive.
“We sing songs and repeat chants for both the winners and the losers. We sometimes comment on social media in a funny way that doesn’t mean any harm,” he said.
The UAE's Cybercrime Law includes stern punishments that could go upto a life sentence and/or a fine of between Dh50,000 and Dh3 million, depending on the severity and seriousness of the crime.
Emirates Cricket Board Women’s T10
ECB Hawks v ECB Falcons
Monday, April 6, 7.30pm, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
The match will be broadcast live on the My Sports Eye Facebook page
Hawks
Coach: Chaitrali Kalgutkar
Squad: Chaya Mughal (captain), Archara Supriya, Chamani Senevirathne, Chathurika Anand, Geethika Jyothis, Indhuja Nandakumar, Kashish Loungani, Khushi Sharma, Khushi Tanwar, Rinitha Rajith, Siddhi Pagarani, Siya Gokhale, Subha Srinivasan, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish
Falcons
Coach: Najeeb Amar
Squad: Kavisha Kumari (captain), Almaseera Jahangir, Annika Shivpuri, Archisha Mukherjee, Judit Cleetus, Ishani Senavirathne, Lavanya Keny, Mahika Gaur, Malavika Unnithan, Rishitha Rajith, Rithika Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Shashini Kaluarachchi, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi, Vaishnave Mahesh
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
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Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
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A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Results
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Winner Spirit Of Light, Clement Lecoeuvre (jockey), Erwan Charpy (trainer)
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Winner Celtic Prince, Fabrice Veron, Rashed Bouresly
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
