Organisers of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia have apologised to the Saudi Football Federation for the circumstances surrounding an engine fire on a plane carrying the team and the subsequent emergency landing, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
During the incident on Monday, the plane carrying the Saudi tea between Saint Petersburg and Rostov-on-Don ahead of their Wednesday match against Uruguay landed with a small fire seen coming from one of the engines.
According to the SPA report, Saudi Arabia Football Federation’s chairman of the board of directors received a letter from Russian authorities which said that the plane involved in the incident would be no longer be used to transport the Saudi or any other World Cup teams.
The letter included a statement from the Civil Aviation Organisation of Russia which confirmed that the flames seen on the wing were a minor malfunction that did not require an emergency landing. The plane landed normally and taxied on the runway until the team disembarked.
An investigation into the incident is ongoing.
Following a 5-0 thrashing at the hands of hosts Russia last week, Saudi Arabia’s World Cup continues on Wednesday night with a match against heavily favoured Uruguay.
Follow us on
