After the absence of the Saudi team...an official decision regarding the result of the match between Al-Ettifaq and Erbil

On Sunday, the Gulf Football Association approved the result of the match between Saudi Al-Ettifaq and its Iraqi counterpart, Erbil, in the second round of the group stage in the Gulf Club Champions League.

The Gulf Federation considered Erbil the winner by three unanswered goals after Al-Ettifaq failed to play the match.

With this result, Erbil topped the third group standings with 6 points, on goal difference from Al-Ettifaq.

What happened in the match?

On October 28, 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.

Before the match, Al-Ettifaq announced in a statement that it had submitted an official request to the Gulf Federation 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.”

He continued: “After coordinating with the relevant authorities, the club’s management confirms the inability of the team’s 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.”