Afghanistan handed reprieve after Olympic no-show

PATTAYA, Thailand, Feb 8 (Reuters) Afghanistan have been handed a reprieve by soccer's world governing body after heavy snow prevented their team from attending a pre-Olympic qualifying match with Vietnam, FIFA said today.

Vietnam assumed victory on Wednesday after the Afghan no-show, but after receiving a letter from the war-torn country's soccer authorities, FIFA decided to allow the match to rescheduled for next week.

''In view of the unforeseen circumstances, FIFA have decided the match between Vietnam and Afghanistan will be postponed until February 14,'' a FIFA spokesman told Reuters.

FIFA said they would assist the Afghan team with visa arrangements to ensure they were able to attend the match in Nam Dinh outside the capital Hanoi.

Their plane was unable to take off because of heavy snow storms, officials in Kabul said.

Vietnamese newspapers had originally reported that the Afghans had conceded the match after discovering at the last minute that there were no flights scheduled for that week.

Afghanistan had earlier agreed to cancel their home leg in Kabul because of security concerns, reducing the tie to a single leg.

Reuters PM GC1437