Saudi football row deepens as Gulf federation brands Al-Ettifaq no-shows

A dispute involving the Gulf Club Champions League has intensified after Al-Ettifaq were declared to have withdrawn from their group-stage match against Iraqi side Erbil and awarded a 3-0 defeat.

The Gulf Cup Football Federation made the decision on Wednesday after Al-Ettifaq failed to travel to Iraq for the second-round fixture. The Saudi club had sought a postponement, but the request was rejected because of the prevailing circumstances, according to the federation’s announcement.

The ruling prompted a strong response from Saudi journalist Badr Al-Saqri, who criticised the Gulf Cup Football Federation and described its handling of the situation as unjustifiable and irresponsible.

“The position taken by the Gulf Football Federation is completely irresponsible,” Al-Saqri said on the Nadina programme on MBC 1. “Some federations are brain-dead and there is no hope of curing them.”

He added: “This federation takes me 30 years back. I do not want to call it backward, but it does not recover or grow old with the passage of time. This is a continuation of a deep-rooted failure running through the arteries and veins of the Gulf Football Federation.”

Al-Saqri also referred to the 27th edition of the Arabian Gulf Cup, which was recently staged in Saudi Arabia.

“There were scandals that were ignored, such as the ticket-price crisis, the broadcasting channels and the strange regulations,” he said.

He went on to question the value of the Gulf Club Champions League and called on Saudi clubs to withdraw from the competition in future years.

“For me, the Gulf tournament is not much different from a friendship tournament or the Tabuk friendly competition,” Al-Saqri said. “It is not recognised by FIFA, so it has no value.”

Saudi media figure Abdulrahman Al-Humaidi challenged that view, pointing to the national team’s success in the Arabian Gulf Cup.

“The Saudi national team won the Gulf Cup,” he said. “Does that mean we should not celebrate it, or that we should not win it?”

Al-Saqri replied: “As long as we took part in it, we should win it,” while adding: “I am not against the tournament, but it has lost its appeal many years ago.”

Al-Humaidi defended the competition’s importance despite its lack of FIFA recognition.

“Not being recognised does not diminish the importance of the Gulf tournament, whether in terms of Gulf and Arab meetings or the experience players gain,” he said.

“Regardless of whether FIFA recognises the Gulf tournament, its matches are important from a technical perspective.”

The Saudi national team won the 27th edition of the Arabian Gulf Cup, known as Gulf 27, on 6 October after beating the United Arab Emirates 2-0 in the final.