Saudi Arabian Football Federation and Qatar Football Association may be penalized by FIFA. Saudi Arabia may even lose its right to participate in 2018 World Cup, Mediamax.am reports.
FIFA is particularly worried about the recent political use of football by Saudi Arabia. During the recent Gulf Cup of Nations in December Saudi government-backed and state-run media channels offered large financial bonuses to the Bahrain national team players if they “defeated the terrorists”. Other recent episode is the refusal of Saudi and UAE teams to allow teams to play in Qatar or to receive Qatari clubs in their countries in the recently begun Asian Champions League campaign.
Asian Football Confederation has already warned both countries of the severe sanctions they faced if they did not adhere to the rules and regulations of the competition. The warning may be voiced by FIFA as well, if it’s proven that the country’s government interferes in football issues.
