New Delhi: The ongoing attacks in the Arabian Peninsula involving USA, Israel and Iran have cast a doubt over the Finalissima” match between Spain and Argentina in Doha after Qatar suspended football tournaments indefinitely.
Euro winners Spain and Copa America champions Argentina were scheduled to meet on March 27 at Doha’s Lusail Stadium, pitting big-name draws including Lamine Yamal and Lionel Messi against each other.
But with Qatar being one of the targets of Iran’s missile and drone attacks, football activities has been halted in the country
“Qatar Football Association announces the postponement of all tournaments, competitions and matches, effective from today and until further notice,” the FA said in a statement on Sunday, as quoted by Reuters.
“The new dates for the resumption of competitions will be announced in due course through the Association’s official channels.”
A decision on the fate of the match rests on match organisers UEFA and CONMEBOL, football’s governing bodies for Europe and South America respectively, who are expected to take a final call in the coming days.
As a resut of the crisis in the Middle East, Bahrain has also postponed football matches until further notice, while the Asian Football Confederation delayed Champions League Elite fixtures in the region.
Matches of the Asian Champions League Two, now in the quarter-final stage, alongwith games in the third tier AFC Challenge League have also been affected.
In other sports, Euroleague Basketball cancelled the NextGen EuroLeague qualifying tournament in UAE’s Abu Dhabi, keeping in mind safety and security concerns for participants.
“After careful evaluation and ongoing consultation with relevant authorities and stakeholders, it was determined that cancelling the event is the most responsible course of action at this time,” the league issued a statement on Sunday.
Basketball’s world governing body (FIBA) on Monday decided to call off four games in the Gulf region before the second window of the 2027 World Cup Asian Qualifiers in Beirut.
Iraq v Jordan and Syria in Group C and Lebanon v India and Qatar in Group D were the games postponed.
The ongoing crisis could also prevent India’s badminton star PV Sindhu from participating at the All England Championships in Birmingham as she is stranded in Dubai.