The match between Saudi Al-Ettifaq and Iraqi Erbil ends before it begins.. Here are the details

To follow the Saudi Football Channel on WhatsApp from Ofoq News in Arabic, click here - The scheduled match between the Saudi Al-Ettifaq and its Iraqi counterpart, Erbil, on Wednesday, in the second round of the group stage in the Gulf Champions Club League, witnessed a strange incident. The Erbil players were present at the Franso Hariri Stadium in the city of Erbil, in addition to the referees’ crew, while the Al-Ettifaq players were absent.

Referee Ahmed Khalil waited the legal period of 15 minutes for the absent team to attend, before blowing the final whistle. In such a case, the team in the green rectangle is usually considered a legal winner with a score of 0/3.

Yesterday, Tuesday, Al-Ettifaq announced in a statement that it had submitted an official request to the Gulf Football Association to postpone its confrontation with Erbil, basing its request on “a number of justifications that were clarified in the submitted request.” The club, which is active in the “Roshen” League, said: “Despite the continuous efforts and follow-ups made by the administration and with the support of the Saudi Federation, the club has received a response stating that it does not agree to postpone and keep the previously scheduled match date.”

Al-Ettifaq Club management continued: “After coordinating with the relevant authorities, the club management confirms the inability of the team delegation to be present in the Iraqi city of Erbil to play the match on its scheduled date, reiterating its adherence to the postponement request, and calling on the Gulf Federation to reconsider it, in accordance with the regulations and procedures followed in such cases.”