On October 15 , Uzbekistan’s national football team will compete against the UAE in the 3rd round of the 4th round of the World Cup Qualifiers.
According to a report issued by the Uzbekistan Football Federation, Fabio de Lima, a Brazilian player in the UAE, will not be joining his team in Uzbekistan for personal reasons.
It transpires that although Fabio de Lima received citizenship in Uzbekistan in 2013 and was registered as an Asian legionnaire in the UAE Championship, his documents were fake.
Uzbek football specialist Alisher Nikibayev however, claims there is no legal reason preventing the player from entering Uzbekistan: “They are asking if Fabio can come to Uzbekistan. I don’t see any legal obstacle to it; it is unlikely that a criminal case was opened against him. In addition, it is necessary to check the statute of limitations for such violations. Don’t forget that Fabio, as a citizen of Uzbekistan, has never seen his ‘passport’ and, of course, has never used it anywhere. This fake document was only needed to enter the Emirates Championship. Why is he not coming? He fears the case is still open and doesn’t want to take any chances. As for his UAE passport, everything is legal in the Emirates.”
