Bahrain's King Hamad kicked off on Saturday the 21 Gulf Cup of Nations football competition in at the National Stadium in Riffa in Manama.
The opening ceremony was attended by Sepp Blatter, the Fifa president and UEFA chief Michel Platini.
The tournament will run until the 18th of this month. It was originally planned to be hosted in the city of Basra, Iraq but was moved to Bahrain in October 2011 to ensure that Iraq could suitably host the competition in the 22nd edition.
The opening ceremony was attended by Sepp Blatter, the Fifa president and UEFA chief Michel Platini.
The tournament will run until the 18th of this month. It was originally planned to be hosted in the city of Basra, Iraq but was moved to Bahrain in October 2011 to ensure that Iraq could suitably host the competition in the 22nd edition.
