Barca's Qatar friendly scrapped

Spanish champions Barcelona's scheduled friendly against Saudi Arabian side Al-Ahli Saudi in Doha, Qatar, has been cancelled by the club's Qatari sponsors just six days before the game was due to take place.

"Qatar Airways, the host and sponsor of the friendly match between FC Barcelona and Al-Ahli Saudi FC, which was scheduled to be played on May 24 in Doha, has opted to postpone the game," Barcelona said in a statement on Wednesday.

"That same week, the region is also hosting the prestigious Emir Cup Final, as well as games being played in the AFC League.

"The coincidence of the match with these major sporting events means that the game will now be postponed to a later date (to be announced shortly) in order to encourage the best possible attendance."

The news comes as talks over extending Qatar Airways' shirt sponsorship of the five-time European champions continues to stall.

Barca signed a 150 million euro ($170m) five-year deal with the Qatar Foundation in 2010 which runs out at the end of this season.