Saudi Arabian clubs set to travel to Qatar for AFC Champions League matches

Saudi Arabian football clubs will travel to Qatar to play in away matches of the Asian Football Confederation’s (AFC) Champions League tournament, it has been learnt.

In a development that is certain to cheer football fans in the region, Saudi authorities have agreed to travel to Qatar for the games, reported Gulf Times.

Saudi officials had earlier been adamant that they would play against Qatari teams only in neutral territory. They had also lobbied the AFC hard to either have the tournament’s home and away format changed or accept their demand for neutral venues for matches involving Qatari and Saudi club sides.

In a tweet, Saudi Arabia’s General Sports Authority chairman Turki Al Sheikh said he had no objection to his country’s club teams travelling to Qatar for their Asian Champions League matches and that he had nothing to do with politics.

This softening of stance augurs well for the tournament, which earlier had seemed in jeopardy because of Saudi Arabia’s adamant attitude. 

Saudi Arabia’s change of position comes after the AFC refused to accede to their demands. The AFC had sent a delegation to Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE last month led by its senior vice-president Praful Patel.

During his meetings, Patel had made it clear that there was no question of the format of the tournament being changed.

Despite that Saudi Arabia and UAE kept hoping that the AFC would accede to their demand of playing their clubs’ matches involving Qatari teams in Kuwait, without any success. Kuwait, too, has denied they have got any request from Saudi Arabia to host any matches.

Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal have been slotted with Qatar’s Al Rayyan in Group D of the AFC Champions League beginning February 12. Qatar’s Al Sadd figure in Group C along with the UAE’s Al Wasl, while in Group B, Qatar’s Al Duhail are pitted against UAE’s Al Wahda.