Abu Dhabi — Mubasher: The UAE Football Association (FA) has formally protested over the eligibility of two Qatar players, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said on Thursday.

The AFC “has received a protest from the UAE FA regarding the eligibility of two Qatar players,” an AFC spokesperson told French news agency AFP.

The FA alleged that a 22-year-old, Sudanese origin forward Almoez Ali and Bassam Al Rawi, a 21-year-old defender born in Baghdad, do not qualify to play for Qatar due to residency grounds.

The two players have not lived continuously in the GCC nation for at least five years over the age of 18, the FA added.

“This protest will now be reviewed in line with the AFC regulations,” the spokesperson said.

The penalty for fielding an ineligible player is cancelling the match and a fine, According to the AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Code.

On Tuesday, Qatar beat the UAE 4-0 to reserve their first ever place in Friday’s final against Japan.

Qatar, the world’s biggest supplier of liquefied natural gas (LNG), has recently naturalised a huge number of players, including footballers born in Egypt, Sudan, Yemen, Algeria, Morocco, and Iraq.

In June 2017, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and non-GCC member Egypt cut diplomatic, trade and transport ties with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism. Doha forcefully denies that charge and says the boycott aims to impinge on its sovereignty.