Saudi-Led Regimes Boycott Qatar-Hosted Persian Gulf Cup

Tournament bosses said they had received no response from the three federations to questions about their participation in the competition, scheduled to start on December 22.

A deadline for Saudi, UAE and Bahrain to accept a written invitation from the Persian Gulf Cup Football Federation (P-GCFF) passed earlier this week.

“There was no response to our letter and they are withdrawn from the tournament,” said Jassim al-Rumaihi, the federation general secretary said.

The only chance that it will go ahead now rests with Kuwait, which was given a November 30 deadline on Thursday to say if they will play in the competition.

If that deadline cannot be met, then the tournament will be cancelled, said the federation.

The Saudi-led regimes severed relations with Qatar and imposed a blockade against it, accusing Doha of funding "terrorism". Qatar has vehemently rejected the allegations as "baseless".

On June 22, the group issued a 13-point list of demands, including the shutdown of Al Jazeera TV, limiting ties with Iran, and expelling Turkish troops stationed in the country as a prerequisite to lifting the blockade.

Qatar rejected all the demands, denouncing them as attempts to infringe its sovereignty. Qatar will also be hosting the FIFA 2022 World Cup amid reports that Saudi-led regimes are engaged in efforts to ensure the country is stripped of rights to host the premier global soccer tournament.