Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain withdraw from Qatar-hosted Gulf Cup amid crisis

Gulf Cup organizers said Thursday that Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Bahrain had “withdrawn” from the Qatar-hosted tournament, amid a political crisis between the neighbors. Tournament bosses said they had received no response from the three federations to questions about their participation in the competition, scheduled to start December 22, AFP reported. A deadline to accept a written invitation from the Gulf Cup Football Federation passed earlier this week. Qatar has been politically and economically boycotted since June 5 by a quartet of countries over its alleged support for terrorist groups and relations with Iran. The 2022 World Cup host denies the charges