Lebanon indefinitely postpones all football matches amid Israel’s attacks

Football matches in all tournaments have been postponed due to Israeli attacks, the Lebanese Football Association said.

The Lebanese Football Association (LFA) has postponed all football matches in its affiliated domestic tournaments indefinitely in the wake of Israel’s attacks in southern Lebanon and rising fears of an all-out war.

At least 558 people, including 50 children, have been killed and 1,835 wounded in Israel’s fierce bombardment of various parts of Lebanon which began on Friday, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health.

Tens of thousands of people were forced from their homes “and the numbers continue to grow”, according to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR).

“Due to the current situation in the country, the executive committee of the Lebanese Football Association has decided to postpone matches of all tournaments to a date to be determined later,” the LFA said in a statement on Tuesday.

The announcement came four days after the opening day of the Lebanese Premier League – the country’s premier domestic men’s football competition. Match day two of the 2024-2025 season was scheduled from September 27 to 29.

Lebanon is not scheduled to host any international fixtures in the coming months. It last hosted a game at home on December 28, when the men’s national team played Jordan in a friendly match.

Their next two friendly matches, against India (October 12) and Vietnam (October 15) are slated to be held in Vietnam.

Domestic football in Palestine also remains suspended during Israel’s continuing war in Gaza, which began after the October 7 attacks in southern Israel.

The Palestine Professional League’s last game was played on October 6, while the men’s national team continues to play its international fixtures abroad. Palestine last hosted a home game in the occupied West Bank in 2019.

According to the Palestine Football Association, at least 410 athletes, sports officials or coaches had been killed in the war in Gaza as of August. Of these, 297 were footballers, including 84 children.