Australia-Jordan friendly moved from Amman to Doha over security concerns

Australia's international football friendly against Jordan has been moved from Amman to Doha, Qatar, after security concerns were raised over playing the fixture in the Jordanian capital. Football Australia (FA) announced the decision on Friday.

Next week's match was initially scheduled to be played in Amman, and Australia had been set to travel to Jordan for Tuesday's game before the venue was changed.

The change follows recent security developments. Late last month, Jordan launched air strikes in Syria in retaliation for a church attack that killed nine people and injured 40. This month, a security officer was killed and another wounded in a stabbing attack in Amman. Such attacks are rare in Jordan, a relatively stable United States ally.

Last week, Professional Footballers Australia said Australia's players had overwhelmingly expressed their view that the match should be moved. The relocation decision followed that position.

Football Australia chief executive Martin Kugeler thanked the Jordan Football Association for agreeing to relocate the match, saying in a statement: 'We are very grateful to the Jordan Football Association for accepting to relocate the match.'

Kugeler added: 'We know how much the Jordan team and fans were looking forward to welcoming the Socceroos to Amman. The dialogue with the JFA has been nothing but open, respectful and collaborative. They were wonderful hosts in Amman this week, and I thank them for their professionalism and flexibility. We look forward to welcoming Jordan to Australia in the future.'

Last week, Jordan also cancelled their international friendly against Indonesia at the request of the Indonesian FA.

Australia face Qatar in Doha later on Friday. The friendlies against Qatar and Jordan were intended to be part of their preparations for the Asian Cup, which was postponed until December next year following attacks on host nation Saudi Arabia by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi forces.