for Qatar on residency grounds per Article 7 of the Regulations Governing the Application of the FIFA statutes, which states a player is eligible to play for a representative team if he has "lived continuously for at least five years after reaching the age of 18 on the territory of the relevant association". It was alleged that Ali and Al-Rawi had not lived continuously in Qatar for at least five years over the age of 18, although the players claimed that their mothers were born in Qatar.Only hours prior to the start of the final on 1 February 2019, the AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Committee announced that it had dismissed the protest lodged by the UAEFA. For Qatar, the win meant Qatar entered their first ever Asian Cup final for the first time. The win sent many Qataris into jubilant at home, as Qatar was seen more like a dark horse rather than a tournament's favorite. It was superseded when Qatar managed to outplay Japan in the emphatic 3–1 final victory to take home the country's first ever football honor. Qatar's victorious campaign further deepened the rivalry and tensions, as most Emirati newspapers struggled to provide a report about it. The United Arab Emirates were fined $150,000 and was originally asked to play two home matches without spectators. The decision was later appealed by the UAEFA. It was believed that the President of the AFC, Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, had his role behind the reversal of the ban, given his Bahraini nationality and Bahrain's participation in the blockade against Qatar. See also 2019 AFC Asian Cup Qatar diplomatic crisis Qatar–United Arab Emirates football rivalry References External links Semi-final: Qatar 4-0 UAE Qatar 4-0 UAE (AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 semi-final) AFC Asian Cup matches United Arab Emirates national football team matches 2019 AFC Asian Cup Qatar national football team matches January 2019 sports events in Asia Sport in Abu Dhabi 21st century in Abu Dhabi Nicknamed sporting events Politics and sports