Saudi footballer Fahad Al-Muwallad hospitalized after Balcony fall

Saudi Arabian international striker Fahad Al-Muwallad has been hospitalized and placed in intensive care after a serious fall from the balcony of his residence in Dubai.

Authorities from both Saudi Arabia and the UAE confirmed the incident on Sunday.

The 30-year-old, who represented Saudi Arabia in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, fell from the second-storey balcony of his holiday apartment in Dubai.

According to a statement from the Dubai government media office, Al-Muwallad is currently receiving intensive medical care following the incident. His condition and the exact circumstances surrounding the fall remain under investigation.

Al-Muwallad was previously withdrawn from the Saudi squad for the 2022 World Cup after a doping ban, marking a turbulent period in the footballer’s career. Further updates on his recovery and condition are awaited.

It added Muwallad as a result was “in intensive care at a hospital in Dubai”.

The Saudi consulate in Dubai confirmed in a statement on X early Sunday it was informed of an “accident at (Muwallad’s) private residence… on Thursday”.

The consulate “is following the investigations conducted with the police” in Dubai, it said in a statement posted on X.

Muwallad plays for Saudi side Al-Shabab, whose captain travelled to Dubai to check on Muwallad’s condition, the club said.

Saudi newspaper Al-Madina meanwhile pointed to “criminal suspicions”, citing “informed sources”.

Before joining Al-Shabab, the striker played for Jeddah’s Al-Ittihad and enjoyed a successful international career, scoring 17 goals in 74 international matches.

He has, though, also had a chequered career in terms of doping, serving two bans.

The first in May 2019 and the latest between March 2022 and September 2023, after testing positive for furosemide, a diuretic that masks the presence of anabolic steroids and is banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).