Saudi Pro League postpones three matches after escalation in country’s war

The Saudi Arabian football league (SPL) has postponed three fixtures, including one involving Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

The Saudi Arabian football league (SPL) has postponed three fixtures, including one involving Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr, following the dramatic escalation in the country’s war with the Houthis.

The matchweek nine fixtures have been pushed back in the calendar for “logistical considerations, taking into account the mandatory minimum rest period between matches”, according to a statement published on Tuesday on the SPL’s website.

The meeting between league leaders Al Hilal and Al Riyadh and the match between Al Ittihad and Al Shabab have been postponed to December 19, while the clash between Al Ahli and Ronaldo’s Al Nassr has been rescheduled for March 6, 2027.

The SPL added, however, that the other matchweek nine fixtures “will be played according to the previously announced schedule with no changes”.

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On Monday, Al Nassr’s AFC Champions League match against Uzbek side Neftchi Fergana in Riyadh was delayed by an hour after the coalition announced it had intercepted a missile fired by the Houthis towards the Saudi capital.

A violent battle between a Saudi-led coalition and Yemen’s Houthis has erupted in recent days, with missile strikes on airports and energy facilities across the kingdom.

The latest round of fighting was triggered by Houthi strikes on Riyadh’s international airport at the weekend that left 13 people dead and operations suspended in the worst attack since 2015.