Insults are a serious matter, here in the UAE.

Walter Zenga can vouch for that. His wallet is 2,000 dirhams lighter because he indulged himself in a fit of pique aimed at a local reporter.

The UAE is one of the handful of places in the world where a major sports figure can insult a reporter and find himself the target of a lawsuit and the subject of a fine.

Zenga is the coach of the Dubai soccer club Al Nasr. He is not a UAE newbie. He coached Al Ain a few years back, and he’s been at Nasr for the past 1.5 seasons and is about to start another season.

Almost any soccer fan who is 30 or older remembers that Zenga was the goalkeeper for Italy’s national team, and also for Inter Milan for more than a decade. Three times, he was declared to be the best goalkeeper in the world.

And in most of that world, an elite player or coach arrives at a post-match press conference operating under the assumption that he can verbally abuse journalists, if the mood strikes. That goes on all over the world.

(The ultimate probably is the Tommy Lasorda F-bomb tirade after he was asked about Dave Kingman hitting three home runs to defeat Lasorda’s Dodgers.)

But Zenga has been in the region long enough that he should know that belittling someone — especially in a public setting and with TV cameras rolling — is not a good idea.

I was at the press conference, back in February, after a 1-1 draw that damaged Nasr’s slim hopes of winning the Pro League title, when Zenga went off, and it was remarkable enough that I led the game story with it.

Reporter asks question about what he perceived to be Nasr’s defense-first posture against an injury riddled Al Wahda side.

Zenga, in English, calls the question stupid.

The reporter disagrees. Zenga persists.

The reporter gets up to leave, and he and Zenga exchange unpleasantries on the way out, and Zenga appears to get the last words with: “Enjoy your time. I will enjoy my time in football. You are nothing. You are nobody.”

It was unpleasant, for sure. Go back and watch the video at the bottom of today’s story, and notice that the two Emiratis on the dais are visibly uncomfortable. You just do not insult people in this country and expect no ramifications.

Zenga is appealing his 2,000 dirham (or about $540) fine. But it seems unlikely he will win.

If it seems that a reporter ought to have skin thick enough to deal with the thoughtless insults of a sports figure … well, it also seems not a bad thing that one of those abusive sports figure should be held accountable for abusive language.

So, yes, almost silly … but also, from the perspective of a journalist, a bit satisfying.