AJAX FULL-BACK Sergino Dest has left the club’s training camp in Qatar because of concerns over the political situation in the Middle East.
The Dutch club confirmed that the 19-year-old requested permission to return to Amsterdam amid rising tension in the region following the United States’ assassination of Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani at an airport in Baghdad on 3 January.
The political crisis between the countries has raised fears of a possible war in the Middle East, though US President Donald Trump suggested on Wednesday that there would be no military response to Iran’s missile attacks on Iraqi bases.
The situation prompted the United States national team to cancel plans for a training camp in Qatar a day after the drone strikes that killed Soleimani and nine other passengers of the flight he was on.
Ajax, however, have been training in Doha for the last six days as they prepare for the Eredivisie to return after the winter break, but United States international Dest had been feeling uncomfortable.
Ajax faced criticism for their decision to train in Qatar due to the political problems in the region and the country’s human rights violations, with organisations such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International publicly bashing the club and urging them to stay away from the country.