In the manner of Al-Nassr and Al-Wasl: a Saudi club sparks a new crisis in the Gulf tournament

Crises never stop

A Saudi club has triggered a fresh crisis in the Gulf Club Championship, echoing the row over the AFC Champions League Elite clash between Saudi Arabia's Al-Nassr and the UAE's Al-Wasl.

The Asian Football Confederation announced the day before yesterday, Sunday, that the Al-Nassr and Al-Wasl match had been postponed until further notice. Scheduled for Monday evening, it fell through because the Emirati club could not travel to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Fury swept through Saudi football circles over the postponement. The Saudi Arabian Football Federation went as far as issuing a statement confirming that every arrangement had been in place to receive the Al-Wasl delegation normally.

Saudi newspaper "Arriyadiyah" revealed a near-identical crisis in the Gulf Club Championship, with Al-Ittifaq at its centre, ahead of their match against Iraq's Erbil, set for tomorrow, Wednesday, in the second round of the group stage.

According to the newspaper, Al-Ittifaq asked the Gulf Football Federation to postpone the match on the grounds that they could not travel to Iraq during the current period. The federation turned the request down.

Al-Ittifaq's management still intend to stay put. They will not travel to Iraq, will not play the match on its scheduled date, and will accept whatever penalties follow.

Officials at the Saudi club expect the team to be handed a 3-0 defeat along with a financial penalty, but they don't anticipate their results being cancelled or an exclusion from the Gulf Championship.

Al-Ittifaq, for the record, sit top of their group with 3 points, picked up through a 2-0 win over Kuwait's Kazma in the first round.