A-League side Western Sydney Wanderers are "going to great lengths to ensure their
supporters can travel to Saudi Arabia for the final of the Asian
Champions League but there is no guarantee female and Jewish supporters
will be granted entry visas," according to Dominic Bossi of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. The Wanderers face Al-Hilal in Riyadh on Nov. 1 in the
second leg of the continental decider but a "section of their supporters
may be denied a chance to witness a potential Asian title due to their
gender, race or religious background." The club is in the process of arranging travel packages with
the support of Al-Hilal and the Saudi Arabian Football Federation but it
will "not be known until the end of the week whether unaccompanied
females and Jewish supporters will be able to travel due to the
strict laws of the nation." The club has received more than 200 inquiries for away tickets and is
finalizing the travel package with the "blessing of relevant
authorities." Due to "conservative legislation, women face difficulties in obtaining
tourist visas for Saudi Arabia while those of Jewish heritage, Israelis
or even those who have visited Israel, are not permitted entry." While AFC regulations state a club's fans "must be allowed
access without prejudice, their stature does not overrule state
legislation." A Wanderers spokesperson said, "There needs to be an invitation. We are working with the FFA
[Football Federation of Australia], AFC [Asian Football Confederation],
the Saudi Arabian Football Federation and Al-Hilal to obtain an
invitation for our supporters to travel." Single women must be in the "company of a male relative or
their husband and travel with marriage certificates to obtain a tourist
visa, or must be escorted at all times as part of a supervised tourism
group." The club has not yet received "any advice for homosexual Wanderers
supporters wishing to travel to the second leg," but the Department of
Foreign Affairs and Trading states, "Homosexual activity is illegal and
penalties include the death penalty" (SMH, 10/8).
