 "Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr among teams affected as AFC postpones multiple games due to tensions in Middle East")
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr among teams affected as AFC postpones multiple games due to tensions in Middle East
The Asian Football Confederation has rescheduled or postponed multiple matches scheduled to take place in the Middle East following US and Israel’s join strikes on Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory response, including Al-Nassr’s AFC Cup quarter-final tie against Emirati club Al-Wasl in Dubai.
The ongoing conflict in the Middle East between US and Israel one one side and Iran on the other has affected the world of sport, including football, leaving several athletes stranded in the war zone and resulting in the cancellation or postponement of multiple events, including a match involving the iconic Cristiano Ronaldo.
Iran, after all,
is targeting Israel as well as multiple US assets across the Gulf including in nations such as United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar in retaliation against Washington and Israel’s joint strikes targeting Tehran, which has led to the
death of their Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The conflict has forced the Asian Football Confederation to postpone the continental club championship playoffs taking place in the Middle East. In a statement posted on Sunday, the governing body for Asian football confirmed that the AFC Champions League Elite Round of 16 games scheduled to take place on Monday and Tuesday will be rescheduled.
Al Nassr’s Champions League Two match against Al-Wasl postponed
Additionally, the AFC Champions League 2 and AFC Challenge League quarter-finals scheduled to take place on Tuesday and Wednesday in the West Zone will be postponed. No new dates have been announced by the AFC so far.
Al-Nassr, the Saudi Pro League club that Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has been part of since 2023, was scheduled to face Emirati club Al-Wasl in Dubai in the AFC Cup quarter-finals.
“The AFC will continue to closely monitor this rapidly evolving situation and remains resolute in ensuring the safety and security of all players, teams, officials, and fans,” the AFC said in a statement.
The AFC, however, added that matches in the eastern part of the continent across all of AFC’s continental championships will continue as scheduled.
This includes the Women’s Asian Cup in Australia that gets underway next Sunday and features India – who had made history by securing qualification on merit for the tournament last year and are set to make their first appearance in over two decades.
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