Somali Football Federation has urged Kenyan authorities to unconditionally release its U-20 international and Kenya's AFC leopards' striker Sadiq Abdulqader Mahmoud who was arrested by Kenyan police as he left his apartment to watch the Champions league Atletico Madrid Barcelona clash.

Somali Football Federation has strongly condemned the arrest of the Ocean stars member and called for his urgent and unconditional release.

"In generally we are very sorry for what is happening to the Somali people in Kenya and in particularly the arrest of Sadiq Abdulqader Mahmoud touches us deeply” Somali football Federation Secretary General Abdi Qani Said Arab said in a press statement here on Friday.

"Sadiq is a well known in Kenya as he plays in Kenya’s top league even with strong team that is in the 2^nd place in last league standings—police should know such high profile individual, it is unacceptable that our Ocean stars member spends another night in detention at the open ground of the Kasarani stadium in Nairobi” Secretary General Abdi Qani Said Arab accentuated.

The statement noted that the player informed police he was an international footballer and plays in the Kenyan top league but they would not listen to him and instead detained him in the football stadium.

"It is unfortunate that an international footballer who carries a nation’s flag on his shoulders was detained and is still illegally being held—Somali FA would not tolerate such violation and we will take the matter to the world of football” Said secretary General Abdi Qani Said Arab whose statement was sent to FIFA, CAF and CECAFA and as well as circulated to the international media.

Sadiq has been member of the Somali National football squad for the past four years and represented the country in many international competitions. He know plays for the AFC Leopards in Kenya.