The Lebanese government has reached an agreement to hold the Lebanese national team’s FIFA World Cup qualifier against Qatar without spectators.
The game is scheduled to be held at the Kamil Chamoun stadium in Beirut on Sunday.
The decision was taken due to the recent security instability in the country and after the government received security and official information that fans may sing chants that may be offensive to Lebanese-Qatari ties during the game.
The Lebanese Football Association has since halted the sale of tickets for the game.
The head of the Association, Hisham Haidar, told Agence France Presse that negotiations are ongoing with the government and on all levels in order to reverse its decision.
He said: “The national team has united the Lebanese people and the fans are the main factor in this fourth round of qualifiers in order for Lebanon to spring a surprise and reach the World Cup.”
The fourth and final round of the qualifiers are set to take off on Sunday with Lebanon being grouped with Qatar, Iran, South Korea, and Uzbekistan.
The 2014 FIFA World Cup is set to be held in Brazil.
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