Al Nassr, who is due to play in a crunch clash against Esteghlal in the Asian Champions League Elite 8 on October 22, is facing difficulties because of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. The match against Al Nassr, who are home to football legend Cristiano Ronaldo, could be transferred from Tehran, Iran to a neutral venue because the regional tensions between Israel, Lebanon, and Iran continued.
Match in Jeopardy
The big match is slated in Tehran, but security priorities have been raised which may see Al Nassr back off on traveling to the Iranian capital. A source at the Saudi club also told local outlet Al Riyadiya: “Neutral venue is something we are monitoring and shall push (for the same),” a source told PTI.
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But they said no official applications have been submitted to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) at this stage. “We haven’t even submitted an official request to the AFC to consider relocating the highly anticipated continental clash.”
This further places the heat on Al Nassr and the AFC to find a solution with no resolution in sight as some of these tensions continue to ramp up. That comes after BVB announced they will take legal recourse, with the potential option of changing the venue being mooted amid heightened security fears.
History of Neutral Venues
It is not the first time Middle East conflicts have hit the Asian Champions League. Diplomatic tensions interrupted Saudi Arabia-Iran ties even at the Asian level in 2016 when the AFC ordered their matches also to be played on neutral ground. The move was not rescinded until recently when Saudi and Iranian clubs were again cleared to play in home stadiums.
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Several teams from Saudi Arabia preferred to play their matches in Qatar during the years when matches could not be held at home and Iranian teams played theirs in Muscat, Oman, and Dubai, UAE. Should things continue on this path then the political winds may well turn again, and with that a return to neutral venues.
Champions League Journey 2k19-20 by Al-NASSR
This season In the adventure of Al Nassr in Asia Champions League Elite which is witnessing fascinating and varied confrontations, Cristiano Ronaldo has been inspiring many aspects of his game. Saudi kicked off the competition with a 1-1 draw against Iraq’s Al Shorta but Ronaldo did not play in the match.
But the Portuguese legend will forget his debut howler if he did miss out on a stinker here and recaptured some of his best form with the second-half winning goal in a 2-1 victory over Qatar’s Al Rayyan.
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Al Nassr is currently fourth in Group B of the Western Zone, which has 12 clubs. But Bahadoran claimed they are not far behind as Al Hilal and Al Ahli had just two points more, while Esteghlal is a point behind. Victory would see either side take a giant stride on the path to the quarter-finals of the competition in papering over some early cracks.
Uncertainty Looms
With only 15 days left until the match on October 22, it’s unclear whether Al Nassr will fly to Tehran or if the AFC will force a decision and relocate the game to a different stadium. Should tensions rise even further, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) could do as they did in 2016 and move the game to another neutral venue with player safety being paramount.
The uncertainty of the match is an added layer of complexity for Al Nassr and Ronaldo with both looking to secure their place in a tournament where they are not guaranteed to feature. But as regional security is steadily challenging the AFC to take action to avoid a diplomatic crisis involving several Middle Eastern nations, there now also seems nowhere that the AFC can turn other than down.
His predicament is a grisly example in which global issues can penetrate the sporting bubble, with players, clubs, and fans often victims of forces far beyond their control. With a must-win clash coming up for Al Nassr, it’s not just football that will be played on Saturday.
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