Ordinarily, being sentenced to 15 years in prison is a result of committing an incredibly serious crime. In Saudi Arabia, however, that stretch can be dealt out for simply wearing a Barcelona shirt.
Earlier this week, several Arab countires severed diplomatic ties with Qatar, with the Saudi Kingdom accusing the Qataris of funding Daesh.
Included in these actions were Saudi Arabia shut down their borders and transport links to Qatar.
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For Barcelona fans, this becomes problematic if they wish to wear any of the club's home or away shirts from the last four years.
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In 2013, Qatar Airways took over UNICEF as the Blaugrana's shirt sponsor, with the Camp Nou club agreeing to extend the deal with the airline for another 12 months, in October of last year.
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The problems that have escalated between the two countries this week, however, have led to a banning of any of the airline's advertisements in Saudi Arabia, including their branding on Barca's shirts.
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If caught wearing any Qatar Airways branded clothing in the Saudi Kingdom, you could be looking at serving 15 years behind bars or you could face a fine of 135,000 euros.
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It is expected that Bahrain, the UAE and Egypt, who have also cut ties with Qatar will also follow through with the same ban, although whether the 'crime' will hold the same punishment is unclear.
Qatar have rejected the claims that connect their country to extremist groups.
From next season onwards, however, Barca will no longer be sponsored by Qatar Airways, with a deal being struck with Japanese internet company Rakuten.
(H/T The Mirror)
Topics: FC Barcelona, Football
