The timely intervention of Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman helped move the venue of a crucial World Cup qualifying match between Saudi Arabia and Palestine to a neutral venue.

The deputy crown prince called Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and discussed the issue with him to avert the crisis.

The Saudi team had informed FIFA it would withdraw from the match against Palestine if it took place in the West Bank, which could have subjected the Saudi team to punishments by the FIFA.

FIFA on Wednesday ordered Palestine to play matches against the Kingdom and Malaysia at neutral venues.

FIFA officials and Palestinian authorities met on Tuesday and “the Palestinian government confirmed that it could no longer guarantee the safety and security around the matches in question,” FIFA said in a statement.

The Palestine-Saudi Arabia match, which was originally scheduled for Nov. 5 will now be played on Nov. 9, while the Palestine-Malaysia match will still be played, as planned, on Nov. 12.

Related articles across the web

• Palestinian President Abbas warned of another intifada
• Sept. 22 world news summary at 1530 GMT
• UN Chief Criticizes Abbas' Anti-Jewish Incitement, Fears It Will Stoke Tensions in Jerusalem
• Protests And Rage Spread To The West Bank After Tense Week In Jerusalem
• Moscow optimistic over international deal on Syria
• Palestinian woman shot, dies after attacking Israeli soldier
• Israeli forces shoot Palestinian after stabbing attempt
• Abbas Says He'll 'Drop a Bombshell' at End of Upcoming UN Speech
• Dramatic moment an Israeli soldier points his rifle at a veiled teenage Palestinian student... who was shot dead moments later for attempting to stab a West Bank checkpoint guard
• A symbolic act