The unusual reason why Fabinho's march to Arabia is in danger: his dogs

Everything was ready for Fabinho, the Brazilian midfielder, to land at Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia. Or almost everything, because a problem has appeared: his two dogs are not allowed to enter the Middle Eastern country. The team is trying to process a special permit so that the signing does not fall out.

The breed of Fabinho’s pets is the problem. Both dogs are French bulldogs, considered “dangerous and aggressive” by the Saudi regime and therefore prohibited at all costs according to the same website of the Saudi Arabian embassy in Washington DC.

The specifications also indicate that all dogs entering the country must fall into one of the following three categories: hunting, guarding or guide dogs. And at this point it is where salvation could be so that the Brazilian’s arrival at Al-Ittihad is not frustrated.

The team is already processing a special permit with the government so that Fabinho’s pets can enter, in addition to preventing this ban from being a limitation on future signings for Saudi football. Even Relevo has already reported that there is another footballer in the same situation, although his identity was not disclosed.

For Fabinho now the future is uncertain, although the contract was ready to be signed. The club and the footballer had agreed to a four-season league to become a new teammate of the already introduced Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kanté and Jota, the other three star signings of the team based in the city of Jeddah.

The fans of Al-Ittihad have already expressed themselves on social networks, especially on Twitter. A hashtag requesting that Fabinho’s dogs be allowed to enter the country has gone viral to put pressure on the authorities so that the midfielder can land in the country without any restrictions.

What seems to be clear is that the still Liverpool footballer will not sign if his pets do not accompany him. Everything will be waiting to see if the Saudi government makes its own laws more flexible, or if, on the contrary, the dogs will become the Achilles tendon of the Saudi Arabia transfer plan.