Brisbane, Australia, Aug 16 : Banned Bahrain defender Sayed Mohamed Adnan has joined Australia's Brisbane Roar in a one-year deal.
Adnan, a Shiite Muslim, was one of several players not included in Bahrain's World Cup qualifying squad last week after being detained for taking part in protests against the Gulf nation's Sunni rulers earlier this year.
“Everybody here respects each other and they want to be champions. I like that,” Adnan said Tuesday of his signing with the A-League champions. The 28-year-old signed after training with the Roar squad for almost a month.
Adnan, the 2009 Asian Player of the Year runner-up, has made 79 appearances for Bahrain, scoring 13 goals.
His ban in Bahrain was part of a widespread government crackdown on dissent that resulted in the detention of journalists, bloggers, doctors, lawyers and activists.
More than 150 athletes, coaches and referees have been suspended since April for their alleged involvement in the protests.
For now, Adnan says he is concentrating on the upcoming A-League season.
“My job is to make our goal safe and we will try get good results this season, better than last season,” he said.
Roar coach Ange Postecoglou said he was confident Adnan would fit comfortably into his side's style of play.
“Mohamed is very composed on the ball and has shown some quality passing in his time with us,” Postecoglou said. “Defensively he is sound and in an attacking sense he will also give us another dimension.” AP
