Saudi Arabia’s football federation has apologised “unreservedly” for the actions of the national team at a match in Australia, when players did not pause to observe a minute of silence for the victims of the London Bridge terror attack before play.
“The players did not intend any disrespect to the memories of the victims or to cause upset to their families, friends or any individual affected by the atrocity,” the federation said in a statement on Friday.
“The Saudi Arabian Football Federation condemns all acts of terrorism and extremism and extends its sincerest condolences to the families of all the victims and to the government and people of the United Kingdom.”
The national team drew fierce criticism after it took up field positions before the Fifa World Cup Asian Qualifying match against Australia at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday.
The Australian players linked arms and stood with their heads bowed for a minute of silence for the eight victims of the car ramming and stabbing incidents in London Bridge on Saturday. Two Australian nationals were among those killed.
Footage from the match shows the Australian team lined up in the middle of the pitch, with the Saudi players choosing to finish their pre-match warm-up instead. The Saudi substitutes did not stand to observe the silence either.
"Both the (Asian Football Confederation) and the Saudi team agreed that the minute of silence could be held," the Australian federation said, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
Australia’s Football Federation (FFA), which organised the tribute, said they had been briefed by the visiting team just before the match that it was “not in keeping with Saudi culture” but that the Saudi players would “respect our custom whilst taking their own positions on the field”.
The move was widely criticised across Australia.
“This is not about culture,” one MP, Anthony Albanese, told local news. “This is about a lack of respect and I thought it was disgraceful.
Some social media users pointed out Saudi players and teams have previously observed such tributes, and Saudi side Al-Ahli Saudi FC paused for a minute of silence ahead of their Qatar Airways Cup match against Barcelona in December 2016.
Australia went on to win the Group B qualifier 3-2.
