Saudi Football Federation Denies Approving Asian Champions League Semi-Final Return Leg Date
Tuesday, the Saudi Football Federation clarified that reports of its communication with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to postpone the AFC Champions League semi-final return leg between Al Hilal and UAE's Al Ain for 24 hours were inaccurate.
The Federation expressed its openness to any proposals that benefit Al Hilal, known as the "national representative," through an announcement on its official account for institutional communication and customer care on "X" (formerly Twitter).
Abu Dhabi Sports Channel had earlier reported that the AFC welcomed the idea of holding the semi-final return leg in Riyadh on its original date, April 23, following discussions and coordination with the Saudi Football Federation and the overturning of its proposal to delay the match by 24 hours.
The AFC had announced the postponement of the first leg match between Al Ain and Al Hilal in the Champions League semi-final 2023/2024 due to weather conditions, as stated in a press release published on its website on Tuesday.
The match was initially scheduled to take place today at Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain at 8 PM UAE local time. However, following directives from the authorities in the country, the UAE Football Association suspended all football activities for the day to ensure the safety of fans, players, and all parties involved.
The game has been rescheduled to tomorrow, Wednesday, to be held at the same venue and time.
The UAE Football Association also announced today the postponement of all football matches due to weather conditions, with the resumption date of football activities to be determined later.