Alerts, warnings and panic: The Houthis managed to hit even Ronaldo

Warnings about Houthi drones approaching the Saudi capital Riyadh delayed the match of Al-Nassr, Cristiano Ronaldo's team, against Uzbekistan's Navbahor in the Asian Champions League. The alerts sent to fans' phones at Al-Awwal Park stadium caused panic, and the stadium announcer calmed the crowd, clarifying there was no need to evacuate and the game would proceed with a delay.

Warnings about Houthi drones approaching the Saudi capital Riyadh delayed Monday evening's match of Al-Nassr, Cristiano Ronaldo's team, against Uzbekistan's Navbahor in the second round of the group stage of the Asian Champions League. The alerts issued to residents also reached the mobile phones of fans at Al-Awwal Park stadium, causing panic among some of those present. The match was scheduled to kick off at 21:15 Saudi time, but shortly before the whistle, emergency alerts were activated due to the drone threat, and the players and referees did not take the field at the scheduled time. The stadium announcer addressed the crowd in an attempt to calm tensions, clarifying that there was no need to evacuate the stands or leave the venue, and that the match was expected to take place despite the delay. The incident occurs amid Houthi drone attacks against Saudi Arabia, which have led to significant disruptions in the country in recent days, including at the operations of the international airport in Riyadh.