A scandal has rocked the handball scene following the semifinal of the 2024 Asian Championship in Bahrain. After an intense semifinal between Bahrain and Japan, several players from Bahrain have faced severe sanctions from the International Handball Federation (IHF).
The Bahrain national team will be without several players for the next match on the calendar, as several members of the team have received lengthy suspensions. According to the IHF, the suspensions were issued because “several players from Bahrain displayed extremely disrespectful behavior towards the referees who officiated the match”.
The team’s captain, Husain Al-Sayyad, received the longest suspension. He will not be allowed to play handball in any national or international tournaments for a year. The IHF also announced that Ali Merza will be suspended for nine months, Mohamed Habib and Mohamed Merza for three months each, while Mohamed Abdulhusain will be suspended for two months.
In addition to the players, the Bahrain Handball Federation also faced sanctions. The federation received a two-year ban from organizing any events at both continental and international levels. Bahrain hosted the Asian Championships and, according to the IHF, failed to implement an adequate security concept.
Source: IHF