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Valdivia and Al Wahda clarify over 'finger' gesture during half-time

Abu Dhabi - Valdivia made his Al Wahda debut against Al Shabab in the Arabian Gulf League on Sunday night.

It seems footballers in the UAE are courting one controversy after another. Al Ain's Ryan Babel sparked a Twitter war few weeks ago, and now, Chilean playmaker Jorge Valdivia is in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.
Valdivia, who played for Al Ain for two seasons previously, made his Al Wahda debut against Al Shabab in the Arabian Gulf League on Sunday night.
And while he impressed with his assists, a 'finger' gesture during half-time went viral on social media platforms, forcing the player and club to issue a clarification.
"I was doing it to my friends who came from Brazil to watch me. It is misunderstood; all a joke," Valdivia said.
A club statement later said: "Jorge Valdivia said that the sign he used at half-time of the game between Al Wahda and Al Shabab in the second round of the Arabian Gulf League, were addressed to some of his friends, who had come from Brazil to watch him. And it was not intended at anyone else."
"Valdivia also said that the sign is used regularly among people in Chile and Brazil and is used as a joke. It does not mean anything negative. He also wishes that there was no misunderstanding regarding it."
About the game, Valdivia later tweeted: "Unfortunately, we could not win but we hope to go strong in the next game. I hope to be 100 % soon to help the team."
Meanwhile, first team manager Abdul Basit Al Hammadi said that the club had spoken to the Chilean Copa America hero.
"Valdivia has been under the spotlight ever since he landed here in the UAE. And there is a lot of pressure on him with all the scrutiny. There is a difference in cultures and we have spoken to the player and requested him to refrain from doing anything controversial," Al Hammadi said.
Meanwhile, coach Javier Aguirre said that they were unlucky against Al Shabab. The Clarets had gone down to nine-man Al Shabab by a solitary goal.
"We lacked the finishing touch and I spoke to the players during the half-time break to take advantage of the opportunities. We almost scored the equaliser in the final minutes but luck was not on our side," Aguirre said.
Aguirre also defended Valdivia and said that he needed a bit more time to adapt to his new surroundings. "Valdivia played a good game and he is an important player for our team. He was suffering from a bit of fatigue as he had just arrived after playing in Chile's friendly against Paraguay. He also needs some time to adapt," the Mexican added.
james@khaleejtimes.com