JEDDAH, 17 January 2005 — Crown Prince Abdullah pardoned Al-Ittihad striker Muhammad Nur who has been suspended by the Saudi Football Federation for the rest of the season as a result of his indifferent behavior in the 17th Gulf Cup last month in Doha.

The pardon was announced at a courtesy call last night at the Crown Palace here during which Crown Prince met Ittihad team led by its president Mansour Al-Balawi as well as the members of the board and players.

The Crown Prince congratulated Ittihad for winning the Asian Champions League title in Korea early in December of last year.

He greeted the players and then gave instructions to have the suspension of Nur lifted.

The Crown Prince told the players they have done a good job in Korea and encouraged them to play as a team achieve more success.

Ittihad goalkeeper Hussain Al-Sadeq thanked the Crown Prince on behalf of his colleagues for the full support he has been giving them.

Ittihad was also received by Prince Sultan, second deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, in the presence of Prince Sultan ibn Fahd, chairman of the Presidency of the Youth Welfare, who congratulated the team for their excellent performance in the AFC (Asian Football Confederation) Champions League and for winning as the best Asian team of 2004.

Prince Sultan praised the performances of the players and wished them more success.

Nur was shown the red card twice during the Gulf Cup and his ejection contributed to the Saudi national soccer team’s eventual elimination from the tournament.

Valencia Held to Goalless Draw at Osasuna

In Madrid, champions Valencia missed the chance to keep the pressure on their title rivals at the top of the Primera Liga when they were held to a 0-0 draw at 10-man Osasuna yesterday, Reuters adds.

Claudio Ranieri’s side gave a subdued performance in a match that was overshadowed by the news of the sudden death of the young daughter of Valencia defender Marco Caneira shortly before the kickoff.

Osasuna played the final 23 minutes of the game with 10 men after defender Jose Izquierdo was sent off for a second booking but Valencia were unable to cash in on their numerical advantage.

The only positive aspect for Valencia was the return to action of inspirational Argentine defender Roberto Ayala who played his first match of the season after recovering from a knee operation.

The result left Valencia in second place in the table, six points behind leaders Barcelona who host Real Sociedad at the Nou Camp later, and one ahead of Real Madrid who entertain Real Zaragoza in another of yesterday’s evening matches.

Espanyol remain in fourth spot, a point behind Real Madrid after their 1-1 draw at Athletic Bilbao.

Basement side Numancia earned their first away point of the season when they came from a goal behind to claim a 1-1 draw against 10-man Deportivo Coruna, who have now gone seven matches without a win.

Villarreal followed up last week’s 3-0 win over Barcelona with a 4-2 victory at Levante. Former Manchester United striker Diego Forlan took his tally for the season to 10 goals after scoring one in each half.