Tijjani Reijnders ruled out of Al Qadsiah’s Al-Diriyah game after late absence announcement

Tijjani Reijnders will miss Al Qadsiah’s Roshn Saudi League meeting with Al-Diriyah after the club announced his absence shortly before kick-off because of undisclosed personal circumstances.

Al Qadsiah are away to Al-Diriyah at Al Awal Park in the fifth round of the Roshn Saudi League. The club confirmed that Reijnders would not be involved around an hour before the match was due to begin, in a late update that gave no further details about the circumstances behind the decision.

The Netherlands midfielder had been expected to be part of Al Qadsiah’s squad after joining the club during the current summer transfer window. He moved from Manchester City in a deal reported to be worth 61m euros.

Reijnders, 28, has made three appearances for the Eastern Province club since completing the transfer. His matches have come against Al-Ittihad, Neom and Al-Faisaly, and he has scored once without registering an assist.

Neither the club’s announcement nor the information released before the match provided additional clarification about when Reijnders might return to the squad. His absence therefore comes as a late change to Al Qadsiah’s plans for the fixture against Al-Diriyah.

The announcement was published on Al Qadsiah’s official social media channels with the message: “Tijjani misses the match”.

Reijnders’ move to Al Qadsiah came after his reported transfer from Manchester City, with the fee making him one of the notable arrivals at the club during the summer window. His early involvement had included three league appearances, during which he contributed one goal.

Al Qadsiah’s fixture at Al Awal Park forms part of the fifth round of the Roshn Saudi League, with the visiting side now having to proceed without one of their recent midfield additions. The reason given for Reijnders’ withdrawal remains limited to the special circumstances cited by the club, which did not disclose further information.

The Dutch international’s absence was announced only shortly before the meeting, rather than as part of an earlier squad update. That timing made his withdrawal the main late development before kick-off, although the club did not describe it as being linked to a technical decision or an administrative matter.