Military attack and Iran retaliation paralyze football in the Middle e…

The US and Israeli military attack on Iran on Sunday paralyzed continental football tournaments in the Middle East and some national competitions, also as a result of Iranian retaliation against several countries in the region.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) decided this Sunday to postpone all matches in the three main club competitions scheduled for the coming days in the Middle East, for security reasons. Among the matches are the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16.

Al Ittihad of Saudi Arabia, coached by Portuguese manager Sérgio Conceição and featuring Portuguese players Danilo and Roger Fernandes in its squad, is one of the clubs affected in the Asian Champions League, as is Al Ahli of the United Arab Emirates, managed by fellow Portuguese Paulo Sousa.

In the secondary competition, Champions League 2, the first leg of the quarter-final between Al Wasl (United Arab Emirates), coached by Portuguese Rui Vitória, and Al Nassr (Saudi Arabia), coached by Jorge Jesus and featuring Portuguese internationals Cristiano Ronaldo and João Félix in its squad, was postponed, among others. Taking into account the evolving situation in the Middle East (…), the matches scheduled for March 2 and 3, 2026 in the western region will be rescheduled,” the AFC said in a statement, which also postponed the games scheduled for this Sunday in that region.