Pakistan said Wednesday that it has "received the green light to host its first Davis Cup tennis tie at home" in 12 years after being forced to play at neutral venues due to security fears. Int'l sporting events "have been rarely held in Pakistan, with foreign teams citing security fears." On Wednesday, Pakistan Tennis Federation Secretary Khalid Rehmani said that the Int'l Tennis Federation has given Pakistan the "go-ahead to host a Davis Cup tie against Iran in Islamabad in February." Rehmani "hoped security will not be an issue" (DAWN, 11/30).
Scottish League One side Albion Rovers "are considering a change of venue for their Scottish Cup fourth-round tie against Celtic due to safety concerns." Albion secured a "glamour fixture against the champions on Monday night" after defeating Queen of the South. Club Chair Ronnie Boyd is concerned that the Coatbridge side's Cliftonhill ground does not meet safety standards and "revealed that a switch to Motherwell's Fir Park or Hamilton Academical's New Douglas Park is being considered" (Glasgow EVENING TIMES, 11/30).
The second batch of tickets for the Qatar Airways "Match of Champions" between Barcelona and Arabian Gulf League side Al Ahli sold out "in a few hours." The tickets went on sale Monday morning on the Qatar FA website, and were sold out in just four hours, raising the number of tickets sold so far to 3,300. This follows "record demand for the first batch of tickets for the match," which is to be held in Doha on Dec. 13 at Thani Bin Jassim Stadium (GULF TIMES, 11/29).
