Alwaght- Saudi Arabia must host Qatar’s football teams during the Asian Champions League for home fixtures next month and allow Saudi teams to travel to the neighboring Persian Gulf state for away matches despite a simmering diplomatic crisis, according to the ruling of Asia’s football governing body.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) on Saturday said it rejected Riyadh’s call to have all matches against Qatar to be moved to a neutral territory.
“Clubs from Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates should be played on a home and away basis in 2018 as per the AFC regulations,” AFC said in a statement published on its website.
The statement said AFC made the decision following an independent safety and security assessment.
Saudi football teams are due to travel to Qatar for away matches beginning next month.
Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal have been placed with Qatar's Al Rayyan in Group D of the AFC Champions League beginning February 12.
Qatar's Al Sadd are in Group C along with the UAE's Al Wasl, while in Group B Qatar's Al Duhail are pitted against the UAE's Al Wahda.
Last summer, Saudi Arabia -- along with UAE, Egypt and Bahrain -- abruptly severed ties with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorist groups in the region.
Qatar, for its part, vehemently denies the allegations, describing attempts to isolate it by its fellow Arab states as a violation of international law.
On June 22, the block, issued a 13-point list of demands, including the shutdown of Al Jazeera TV, limiting ties with Iran, and expelling Turkish troops stationed in the country as a prerequisite to lifting the blockade.
Qatar rejected all the demands, denouncing them as attempts to violate its sovereignty.
