Soccer matches in all tournaments have been postponed as a result of Israeli strikes, the Lebanese Soccer Affiliation stated.
The Lebanese Soccer Affiliation (LFA) has postponed all soccer matches in its affiliated nationwide tournaments indefinitely within the wake of Israel’s assaults in southern Lebanon and rising fears of an all-out struggle.
At the least 558 folks, together with 50 youngsters, have been killed and 1,835 wounded in fierce Israeli bombardment of components of Lebanon that started on Friday, based on the Lebanese Ministry of Public Well being.
Tens of 1000’s of individuals have been pressured to flee their houses “and the numbers proceed to develop,” based on the UN refugee company (UNHCR).
“Because of the present state of affairs within the nation, the chief committee of the Lebanese Soccer Affiliation has determined to postpone the matches of all tournaments to a date to be decided later,” the LFA stated in a press release on Tuesday.
The announcement got here 4 days after the opening day of the Lebanese Premier League, the nation’s prime males’s soccer competitors. The second day of the 2024-2025 season was scheduled for September 27-29.
Lebanon just isn’t scheduled to host any worldwide matches within the coming months. The final time it hosted a house match was on December 28, when the lads’s nationwide crew performed Jordan in a pleasant match.
Their subsequent two friendlies, in opposition to India (October 12) and Vietnam (October 15), are scheduled in Vietnam.
Nationwide soccer in Palestine additionally stays suspended as Israel’s struggle in Gaza continues, which started after the October 7 assaults in southern Israel.
The final match of the Palestinian Skilled League was performed on 6 October, whereas the lads’s nationwide crew continues to play its worldwide matches overseas. The final time Palestine hosted a house match within the occupied West Financial institution was in 2019.
Based on the Palestinian Soccer Affiliation, at the least 410 athletes, sports activities officers and coaches had been killed within the Gaza struggle by August. Of those, 297 had been footballers, together with 84 youngsters.