October 21 – Palestinian football has won a decisive battle off the field over the contentious World Cup qualifier with Saudi Arabia and will host it on November 5.
Earlier this month, Palestine’s football association urged Sepp Blatter and Asian Football Association chief Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa to overturn an order to play the vital fixture on neutral ground.
The background is that last June, Palestine, who had originally been slated to play the first group game between the two sides at home, agreed to a request by the Saudis to switch the fixtures round due to “exceptional conditions” and had been eagerly anticipating hosting the return on October 13 in the West Bank after being narrowly beaten 3-2 first time round.
But FIFA’s bureau of the World Cup organising committee, chaired at the time by UEFA president Michel Platini who is now suspended, suddenly mandated the corresponding Group A fixture, which could have a massive bearing over Palestine’s World Cup hopes, to be played instead on neutral territory ground following another unexplained Saudi request.
The bureau’s decision was “final and binding” with no possibility of appeal, infuriating the Palestinians. FIFA subsequently backtracked and temporarily delayed a final decision but the newly installed bureau for World Cup qualifiers met yesterday under the chairmanship of Juan Angel Napout and unanimously ruled in favour of Palestine.
The bureau, a statement said, “decided that in view of the agreement made between the two teams last June, the match would be rescheduled to take place in Palestine on Thursday, 5 November 2015.”
“The Palestinian Football Association has given full security guarantees for the rescheduled match and FIFA has agreed to appoint a security officer who will work hand in hand with the Palestine authorities to supervise the security plan and make sure that the match is played in very good conditions.”
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