By Andrew Warshaw
October 8 – The dispute over the contentious Palestine-Saudi Arabia World Cup qualifier that has made headlines throughout the region has taken a decisive twist.
Earlier this month, Palestine’s football association protested both to Sepp Blatter and to Asian Football Association chief Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa to try and 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 13 October in the West Bank after being narrowly beaten 3-2 first time round.
But FIFA’s bureau of the World Cup organising committee, chaired by UEFA president Michel Platini, 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. But now FIFA has backtracked such is the sensitivity of the issue.
At a meeting on Tuesday with the presidents of both federations, it is understood the Saudis were given three days to explain in writing the reason why they do not want to play in Palestine. In the meantime the fixture has been postponed pending a final ruling.
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