This weekend's soccer World Cup qualifying match between Chad and Sudan has been called off, news agencies are reporting.

The decision came after Chad decided not to send its national team to Sudan. Earlier this month, Fifa reported that the match would be played despite the fact that the two countries currently do not have diplomatic relations.

Sudan broke off relations with Chad after a Darfur rebel group staged a daring cross-country raid on the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, on May 20. Sudanese President Omar el-Bashir accused Chad of supporting the rebels, a charge Chad denies.

This weekend's match was scheduled to take place in Omdurman, Khartoum's sister city on the west bank of the River Nile and the place where the rebels clashed with the government forces.

The decision not to send Chad's team to Khartoum was announced on the website of the Chadian presidency. Agence France-Presse reports that the Chadian government feared for its team's security in Sudan – despite Sudanese government assurances of its safety. Other French-language news sources are reporting that the match will not be played because the two countries do not have diplomatic relations

In a speech to parliament last week, Chadian President Idriss Deby called Sudan a threat. On Wednesday, el-Bashir launched into an attack on Chad during a speech at an international conference in Japan. Chad in turn had previously accused Sudan of supporting a rebel group that attacked its capital, Ndjamena, in February.

The return match in the Group 10 World Cup qualifying round is set for September. It is unclear how this weekend's fixture will be scored, although it will probably result in Chad forfeiting points.