Matches are going ahead despite attacks in Saudi Arabia but logistical challenges have caused upheaval

Show caption: Al Nassr saw their SPL and AFC matches affected by logistica…

Asian football has been disrupted by the travel issues caused by attacks on Saudi Arabia by Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

Two Iranian clubs – Tractor and Esteghlal – will play matches in the UAE in the AFC Champions League Elite this week.

However, Al Wasl’s fixture against Saudi Pro League champions Al Nassr has been postponed after the Dubai side did not travel to Riyadh.

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Wasl postponement

The Asian Football Confederation announced on Sunday that Wasl’s group match against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Nassr would be played at a later date.

The fixture was scheduled to take place on Monday night at Nassr’s home ground of Al Awwal Park in Riyadh.

Although the match delegation of officials had reportedly travelled as planned, Wasl did not make the trip.

The postponement was met with criticism by many Nassr fans, plus many in the wider football community in Saudi Arabia.

Monday’s other group stage fixture in the kingdom, Al Qadsiah against Qatari outfit Al Sadd in Dammam, is due to proceed as scheduled.

Saudi football federation statement

After the AFC and Wasl announced the postponement, the Saudi Arabian Football Association (SAFF) responded with a statement.

It said the federation “had completed all necessary procedures and arrangements to host the Al Wasl delegation”.

“This included securing flight permits and fulfilling all organisational and logistical requirements – all of which were formally communicated to the AFC,” the federation wrote.

“Furthermore, SAFF had co-ordinated with the UAE FA and Al Wasl, confirming all preparations were in place and that everything was ready to receive the delegation.

“Additionally, the match commissioner and officiating team had already arrived in Riyadh, prepared for the match to take place as scheduled, further confirming all hosting arrangements were fully in order.

“In this context, the [federation] reaffirms its full support for Al Nassr and all Saudi clubs participating in international competitions.”

Competition rules

According to the tournament regulations, it is up to the host club “in conjunction with its member association and the AFC” to make “appropriate arrangements” for staging matches.

Away sides must arrive “at least two days before and leave no later than one day after” matches. They can arrive a day before, but only after an official request is made to the AFC more than seven days in advance.

Sides who do not travel run the risk of being expelled from the competition. They will be considered to have withdrawn if they inform the AFC in writing that they do not intend to report to the venue for a fixture.

However, the regulations state the “AFC Competitions Committee shall be responsible for determining events of force majeure” in connection with missing a fixture.

That means a club could be excused from fulfilling their obligations because of an extraordinary and unavoidable event which is outside of anyone's control.

Iranian sides in the UAE

Tractor, the Iran Pro League side, were reported to be on the brink of exclusion if they failed to make it to Al Ain for Monday’s night’s group match.

That was related to the logistical issues over flights from Iran. Since the onset of the conflict at the end of February, Iranian clubs have made circuitous trips to away fixtures, often involving a variety of flight changes.

However, the UAE FA helped secure permission for Tractor to make a direct flight from Tabriz to Dubai.

The same allowance was made for Tehran-based club Esteghlal, who will face Shabab Al Ahli in Dubai on Tuesday.

Saudi Pro League

As well as the cross-border issue, leading clubs in Saudi Arabia have also been dealing with logistical challenges in domestic competitions.

The Saudi Pro League has seen a number of fixtures postponed. After the most recent round of Champions league fixtures, three SPL matches were rearranged.

That was indirectly as a result of the Houthi attack on the international airport in Riyadh, which killed 13 people and wounded more than 300.

The closure of airspace in response to the attack meant sides would have to travel by road for their league fixtures.

The long distances involved in the journeys for those matches meant players who had been involved in Champions League matches earlier in the week would not have been able to have the mandatory rest period of 48 hours.

2027 Asian Cup

The Asian Cup is due to take place in Saudi Arabia from January onwards, at venues in Riyadh, Jeddah and Khobar.

A number of federations have cast doubt over whether it can proceed as planned. Two days ago, the president of Japan’s football federation, Tsuneyasu Miyamoto, said: “Based on what I’ve learnt from the news, the situation is still unsafe, so at this point, I don’t think it would be easy to hold the [Asian] Cup there.”

The organisers have acknowledged postponing the tournament is an option if required.

But they also signalled preparations are going ahead as planned, as the schedule for the competition was confirmed on Monday morning.