Saudi Arabia’s religious police detained Colombian footballer Juan Pablo Pino while he was shopping at a mall with his wife because he wore a shirt without sleeves, his tatoos visible.

Riyadh/NationalTurk- The 24-year-old Colombian footballer, who currently plays for the Saudi Al-Nasr club, was at the mall in the Saudi capital Riyadh with his pregnant wife when members of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice seized him. “They then put him and his wife in their car and waited until executives from Al-Nasr club came and sorted it out. Pino and his wife were handed to the club officials after a brief detention

“Following the incident on Friday, Pino’s pregnant wife is living in a state of anxiety and is demanding that she and her husband leave Saudi Arabia, a extreme Muslim kingdom ruled by Shariah (muslim canonical laws). Al Nasr club has asked its Argentine coach Gustavo Costas and his wife to try and persuade Pino’s wife to change her mind but their attempts have been futile.”

Saudi Police : Busy with fighting tatoos

Former Galatasaray Istanbul player Pino, who has chosen to play in Saudi Arabia Football, wore a sleeveless T-shirt while his wife had an Arabian gown on when they were detained by members of the Commission, the most feared and influential  Saudi Arabia Sharia law enforcement body.

Saudi Arabia’s religious police have told foreign players with tattoos on their arms to cover such drawings while on the field, claiming they are adversely affecting young Saudis.

Saudi Arabs fear the power of naked arms with tatoos

The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice sent a letter to the Higher Youth Committee asking it to warn all foreign players in the conservative Muslim Gulf kingdom to cover their tattoos before going into the field during matches. The letter cited Columbian player at Al Nasr Club, Juan Pablo Pino, whose hands and shoulders are covered with tattoos “in violation of existing rules.”

Saudi Youth : ”We are effected by tatoos, now we are hopeless”

“These tattoos have negative effects on the Saudi youth. You are asked to draw the attention of all foreign players in the Kingdom to the need to abide by the rules and cover their tattoos during matches,” the letter said.

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