Qatar and Saudi Arabia restored diplomatic ties on 5 June this year following a three-year dispute.

Two Qatari referees will be leading two matches in the first round of the Saudi Professional League 2021-2022,  Arriyadiyah announced on Monday.

According to the twitter announcement, referee Abdul Rahman Al Jassim will be leading the match between Al-Nassr and Damac on 13 August, while Saoud Al-Athba will referee a game between Al-Hilal and Al-Ta’ee on 14 August.

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The appointment of the Qatari referees came after the Saudi Football Association opened the registration of foreign referees for league matches, provided that requests are submitted 16 days before the match and that the clubs would pay at least $46,000 for a crew of four referees per match, and about $58,000 for a crew of five judges, accoridng to media reports.

News of the appointment came as another indicator of the resumption of ties between Doha and Riyadh following the signing of the Al-Ula declaration on 5 January.

In 2017, Saudi Arabia – along with the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt – imposed an illegal air, land and sea blockade on Qatar and severed all ties with Doha.

While there has been no news on the resumption of trade between the two countries, both states have appointed ambassadors to restart work at consulates in Doha and Riyadh.

The Saudi Professional League for this season will kick off on 11 August with a game between Al Feiha and Al-Ittihad.

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