Asian Cup 2019: UAE organisers refuse to give Qatari footballer hat-trick memento ball

Qatar's football federation has filed a complaint with organisers at the Asian Cup after they prevented a hat-trick scoring player from keeping a match ball - a time old tradition.

The team's spokesman said organisers of the tournament in the United Arab Emirates declined to hand over the ball after they thrashed North Korea 6-0 on Sunday, with star striker Almoez Ali netting four goals.

"We asked for to get the ball but that didn't happen," Ali al-Salat said, according to local daily Al-Sharq.

Salat added that he had filed a complaint to the Asian Football Confederation over the "blatant disregard to sporting norms".

Traditionally, players who score a hat-trick are allowed to keep the match ball as a memento.

The move by Emirati organisers comes as Qatar has been subject to a diplomatic and economic boycott by regional rivals, including Saudi Arabia and the UAE, for more than 18 months.

The diplomatic spat has already cast its shadow on the sporting event, with UAE officials initially denying entry to the deputy head of the Qatar Football Federation.

Several Qatar-based journalists have also been prevented from entering the country to cover the event, after waiting at Dubai airport for 13 hours before returning to Doha.

Amid the diplomatic tensions, Qatar and Saudi Arabia will meet on Thursday in a game that will decide the group winner.