A star-studded match to help mark the rebirth of a soccer "ghost stadium" has been dealt a blow by football politics.
Due to feature the likes of Steven Gerrard, Andrea Pirlo and Carlo Ancelotti in FIFA-banned Kuwait, the exhibition is scheduled to mark the long-awaited reopening of the country's national arena.
But last week FIFA issued a stern letter to its member federations warning them "not to enter into any sporting contact with the Kuwait Football Association (KFA) and/or its teams during the suspension of the association" -- effectively marking the Gulf state as off limits to any active players or officials.
Organizers have now confirmed that Gerrard of the LA Galaxy, New York City FC midfielder Pirlo and referee Pierluigi Collina have been forced to withdraw from the ceremonial match -- dubbed the Kuwait Champions Challenge -- on December 18 at the Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium.
Gerrard and Pirlo would have risked suspension not only for themselves, but also incur disciplinary action to the English and Italian football associations, according to the letter.
The FIFA document -- headed "Suspension of the KFA" -- also bars Kuwaitis who participate in the local league from involvement in the match.
A KFA representative said the association was not involved in the match because of the suspension, and was not aware of who would be playing.
Three-time Champions League winner Carlo Ancelotti had been slated to coach the international side, but has pulled out due to a scheduling conflict, according to the organizers.
Although Ancelotti is currently not managing a club, it is unclear whether the 56-year-old Italian would have risked suspension in his next job had he taken part. He has been replaced by former England manager Fabio Capello.
Refereeing great Collina has also stepped aside, as he's an active member of the UEFA Referees Committee.
Despite those withdrawals, the Football Champions Tour -- the organizers with links to dozens of retired or semiretired pros, managers and referees -- says the match will go ahead as planned, adding that a number of high-profile retirees will serve as replacements -- including former Manchester United forward Dwight Yorke.
The match will deliver the first action to the 60,000-seater stadium in five years -- and just the second football game since its completion in 2007.
Locals have been gearing up for the event, with thousands of tickets distributed for free online.
"I'm looking forward to this as a sports fan, to see all these international world-renowned footballers in Kuwait," said Tarek Aleryan, the longtime host of Kuwait Television's "Spotlight on Sports."
"Hopefully this will bring us into a new year, and a new period of better things for Kuwait."
Given the stadium's checkered history -- along with Kuwait's complicated status in international sports -- the match is unlikely to be a run-of-the-mill exhibition, no matter who is on the pitch.
Banned by the football and Olympic governing bodies, Kuwait is prohibited from staging even international friendlies. Rather than fielding the national team in Friday's game, an online poll will determine who represents the Kuwaitis.
Though Kuwait is an outcast at FIFA and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), it still holds a level of influence at these major sports bodies given a former senior government official sits on the board of both organizations.
Ex-cabinet minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah serves on FIFA's executive committee as well as the IOC, while heading up the Olympic Council of Asia.
Although his positions within FIFA and the IOC are not impacted, the country's football ban prohibited a scheduled exhibition between Belgium and Italy that had been set to inaugurate the vacant Kuwaiti landmark in October.
"Hopefully these things will be resolved -- the issue with FIFA, the IOC -- so we can move forward and have official games at the stadium," Aleryan said.
Other leading soccer figures slated to take part include former players Luis Figo, Ronaldinho, Robert Pires, Albert Puyol and Jamie Carragher.
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