Iran, Saudi Arabia agree to host bilateral soccer matches

Iran, Saudi Arabia agree to host bilateral soccer matches

Tehran, The Gulf Observer: The Iranian and Saudi Arabian soccer teams have reached an agreement to host each other’s teams, rather than holding bilateral matches in a third country.

This decision was made during a meeting in Sydney, Australia, between Mehdi Taj, the president of the Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and his Saudi Arabian counterpart, Yasser Al Misehal. The meeting took place on Monday on the sidelines of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, which Taj had traveled to Australia to watch.

In light of this new agreement between Tehran and Riyadh, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Disciplinary Committee has ruled out the issue of holding bilateral matches between the two teams in a third country.

The AFC will officially inform others about this decision through a statement in the near future.

As a first step towards implementing this agreement, a friendly match between Iran and Angola will be officiated by a Saudi referee.