UAE national arrested over placing Asian men in cages over football match

A video of a UAE man locking up his Indian workers ahead of the AFC Asian Cup in a birdcage goes viral.

The video captures a man locking up supporters of the Indian football team in a birdcage ahead of a crucial match with the UAE.

The incident has prompted the UAE authorities to arrest several persons.

In the clip, the workers can be seen standing behind bars while the man sits outside, asking them who they're going to support in the 2019 AFC Asian cup - which is currently taking place in the UAE.

The man turns to the workers and asks them who they'll be rooting for, to which they respond with "India".

He then tells them they can't support India because they live in the UAE and only unlocks the cage when the men say they'll cheer the Emirati football team.

The video sparked outrage as people insisted the racist behavior should;nt go unpunished.

The man responded to the allegations stating that the video was recorded as a joke.

"These men are my workers, one of whom I've known for 22 years. I live with my men on this farm; we eat from the same plate. I did not beat them, nor did I truly 'lock' them up. This is the Year of Tolerance. Please understand my intentions," he added.

The UAE's anti-discrimination law criminalizes "all forms of discrimination on the grounds of religion, caste, creed, doctrine, race, colour or ethnic origin."

If convicted in the case related to the incident, the man might face penalties that range from six months to more than 10 years in jail and fines from 50,000 dirhams ($13,612) to 2 million dirhams ($544,510).