The Saudi Arabian football league (SPL) has postponed three fixtures, one of them involving Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr, as the country’s conflict with the Houthis escalated sharply.
The league moved the matches in its week nine schedule for “logistical considerations, taking into account the mandatory minimum rest period between matches”. The SPL announced this in a statement posted on its website on Tuesday.
New dates for the rescheduled fixtures
The meeting between league leaders Al Hilal and Al Riyadh, and the match between Al Ittihad and Al Shabab, will now take place on December 19. The clash between Al Ahli and Al Nassr has been moved to March 6, 2027.
The SPL said the other week nine fixtures would still be played “according to the previously announced schedule with no changes”.
Missile strikes and airport attack in Riyadh
On Monday, Al Nassr’s AFC Champions League tie against Uzbek side Neftchi Fergana in Riyadh was held up for an hour after the coalition said it had intercepted a missile fired by the Houthis toward the Saudi capital.
A violent battle between a Saudi-led coalition and Yemen’s Houthis has broken out in recent days, with missile strikes hitting airports and energy facilities across the kingdom. The latest round followed Houthi strikes at the weekend on Riyadh’s international airport, which left 13 people dead and suspended operations in what was described as the worst attack since 2015.
