Saudi Arabia and Iran have been forced to call off a friendly international in Kuala Lumpur due to the dense haze that has enveloped the Malaysian capital.

The two Middle Eastern sides, who are preparing for their World Cup qualifying matches next week, had originally been scheduled to meet at the Cheras Stadium on Thursday evening but the match was postponed by a day as the Air Pollutant Index (API) reading in Kuala Lumpur rose to a hazardous level of 321.

Conditions in Kuala Lumpur deteriorated further on Friday with the API rising to 365, causing the match to be cancelled for safety reasons.

Saudi Arabia is to depart for Seoul to meet South Korea while Iran will fly to Yokohama to continue preparations for its match against Japan on Wednesday.

While the two teams have already qualified for the 2006 World Cup, both view their upcoming matches as good preparation for next year's competition in Germany.

The thick haze, which has been attributed to forest fires in neighbouring Indonesia, has drastically reduced visibility in the Klang Valley area and caused the Malaysian government to declare an emergency in two areas of Selangor on Thursday when the API level rose over 500.

The Football Association of Malaysia has reacted to the situation by relocating three of this Sunday's Malaysia Cup fixtures to venues outside the Klang Valley.

Source: Xinhua