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Ineligible player costs Qatar Olympic qualifier

Qatar`s hopes of winning a spot in this year`s Olympic soccer competition has been dealt a blow after FIFA overturned a draw in Oman for fielding an ineligible player, awarding the home side a 3-0 victory.

Qatar`s hopes of winning a spot in this year`s Olympic soccer competition has been dealt a blow after FIFA overturned a draw in Oman for fielding an ineligible player, awarding the home side a 3-0 victory.
The Nov 27 London Olympics qualifier ended in a 1-1 stalemate but Qatar`s Abdelaziz Hatim should not have been on the pitch in Muscat. The midfielder had been booked in the second round of qualifiers against India and picked up a second yellow card in the round three game with South Korea. The Qatar Football Association has been fined $7,600 (4,824.78 pounds) while the team have now slipped to third place in Group A with two points, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said on its website (htp://www.the-afc.com) on Wednesday. Qatar will have a chance to reduce the gap when they host Oman (six points), now second in the group behind South Korea (seven), on Sunday. The three top teams from Asia qualify for the Olympic men`s tournament in London from July 25 to August 11. Bureau Report