Albania-Israel World Cup qualifier moved for security reasons

The 2018 World Cup qualifier between Albania and Israel has been moved away from the scheduled venue of Shkoder for security reasons.

The Group G match was due to take place at the Loro Borici Stadium on Saturday, but has been changed at the request of hosts Albania due to a reported terrorist threat to the visiting Israel team.

Elbasan, a city located closer to the capital of Tirana, will now be the location for the fixture.

“We can confirm that at the request of the host association the match was moved to another venue due to security reasons,” a FIFA spokesperson told Omnisport.

Albania and Israel sit joint-third in Group G with six points from three games – with Albania holding the edge on goal difference – trailing leaders Spain and Italy by one point.