Citing security concerns, the Armenian Football Federation (AFF) cancelled on Friday a friendly match which the national football teams of Armenia and Uzbekistan were scheduled to play in Turkey on February 12.
“Given the fact that terrorist acts are frequently committed Turkey lately, the Armenian Football Federation has decided, because of security considerations, to abandon the friendly game with Uzbekistan’s national team,” read a statement posted on the AFF website.
Uzbekistan’s Football Federation, whose national team is coached by an ethnic Armenian, reported the match cancellation earlier in the day.
It was agreed late last year that the Armenia-Uzbekistan match will be played in Antalya, a resort town on the Turkish Mediterranean coast. Despite the absence of diplomatic relations between Armenia and Turkey, many Armenian soccer clubs have often trained and played friendlies there in winter months ever since the 1990s.
Armenia’s reigning champions FC Alashkert is due to hold training camp in the same area early next month.