FOOTBALL – THE Bahrain Football Association (BFA) announced last night the protocols that must be followed in the upcoming resumption of national competitions, following the recent suspension of games due v to the unfortunate events that have been taking place in the kingdom.
As reported in yesterday’s GDN, matches are scheduled to be played once again from Saturday – without any spectators in attendance – beginning with two remaining quarter-final fixtures of the His Majesty the King’s Cup. They are to be followed later this month by clashes in the Nasser Bin Hamad Bahrain Premier Football League, the Bahrain First Division, the 2025-26 Bahrain Super Cup, and age-group tournaments.
Under the detailed set of guidelines announced by the BFA, upon receiving an alert of a security threat, play shall be suspended immediately by the match referee and commissioner. The pitch shall be evacuated at once, with all players, technical and administrative staff, and officials proceeding directly to the locker rooms or designated safe zones.
The location of the threat shall be verified by the referee and commissioner; if the threat is away from the pitch and does not pose a threat to the safety of all those present, the game may be resumed without waiting for the threat to have passed. However, if the threat is close to the perimeter of the venue, the match shall be suspended until it has completely passed.
After any potential dangers have been cleared, the match referee and commissioner will assess the situation at the stadium in terms of safety and all technicalities. Players and referees will then be given five minutes to warm up before resuming action and after assessing all aspects of the contest, including the players’ health.
Matches are to resume from the same minute it was stopped and with the team keeping possession at the time it was paused. If it was halted during injury time, further adjustments will be made depending on the duration of the stoppage.
The referees’ disciplinary authority remains in effect during stoppages.
No substitutions are permitted during this period. They can only be done with all players on the pitch and with the action having resumed.
A match may be suspended for a maximum 30-minute period. If the venue’s required security and technical readiness cannot be confirmed before resumption, the match referee and commissioner have the right to terminate the contest in accordance with approved regulations.
In the event that the game is abandoned, it will be resumed at the same minute, with the same score line, and with the same team keeping possession at a later date.
The BFA also noted that any instances not addressed in the protocols shall be referred to the BFA’s relevant committees for a decision, within the approved regulations.
The His Majesty the King’s Cup’s resumption on Saturday will be followed by the premier league contests on March 12, first division fixtures on March 15, the Super Cup on March 18, and age group tournaments on March 24.
In the His Majesty the King’s Cup, holders Al Khaldiya and Muharraq are already through to the semi-finals, while Saturday’s fixtures see Al Ittifaq go up against Al Ahli and Riffa take on Bahrain Club.
The BFA noted that the full schedule of other matches will be announced later.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh