The Pakistan Football Federation said on Monday that the second leg of the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying match between Pakistan and Yemen in Lahore will be played behind closed doors, according to the PTI. PFF Secretary Ahmed Yar Lodhi said, "We have been notified by FIFA the match should go ahead as per schedule but it will now be behind closed doors with no spectators allowed into the stadium." He said heavy security would be deployed for the match "inside and outside the stadium." Earlier, "uncertainty hovered over the fate of the match due to Monday's suicide bombings at two churches." FIFA Match Commissioner John Windsor of Malaysia canceled the pre-match news conference of both teams. He said, "We'll decide the fate of the game in consultation with the Yemen team." Reports from within the Yemen team were "not very positive" as they said their players were "not keen on playing the match." A source said, "The Yemen team believes they have not made proper preparations for the second leg of the qualifier and are reluctant to play" (PTI, 3/16).
