On October 2nd, a football match between Sepahan FC and Al Ittihad FC, was canceled amid a dispute over a bust of the slain Revolutionary Guards commander Qasem Soleimani. This incident occurred shortly after Saudi Arabia and Iran announced plans to resume home-and-away football matches, reflecting a recent thaw in relations between the two countries.
A football match between Saudi and Iranian teams was canceled on Monday night amid a dust-up over a statue of slain Revolutionary Guards commander Qasem Soleimani, a club source told AFP.
The match between Sepahan FC and Al Ittihad FC set to take place in the Iranian city of Isfahan “has been cancelled due to unanticipated and unforeseen circumstances,” the AFC Champions League said in a statement, without elaborating.
However, an official with Saudi side Al Ittihad said a dispute arose after club administrators objected to a bust of Soleimani, who was killed by a US drone strike in 2020.
The official said the two sides then met with AFC representatives to determine if the match would be rescheduled.
Soleimani commanded the foreign operations arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and remains a revered figure in Iran following his 2020 assassination.
The Iranian news agency ISNA reported that Monday’s match had been cancelled “by the decision of the referee,” without giving a reason.
Mohammed Reza Saket, general manager of Sepahan, told Iranian state television that his side would “immediately complain to the AFC” about the incident.
“The request of the Ittihad team was outside of sports customs and against the usual principles,” he said.
The local news agency Tasnim said the statue of Soleimani was “part of” the stadium and had no connection to the match.
The Saudi state-affiliated Al-Ekhbariya channel reported on Monday night that Ittihad had left Iran for Saudi Arabia.
The dispute comes one month after Saudi Arabia and Iran announced a “groundbreaking” deal to resume home-and-away football matches between club sides after seven years of competing in neutral venues.
That agreement was the latest sign of rapprochement stemming from a surprise China-brokered deal announced in March that saw the long-time rivals agree to restore diplomatic relations and reopen their respective embassies following a seven-year rupture.
The official news agency IRNA shared footage on Monday of the newly appointed Saudi ambassador arriving at the stadium in Isfahan ahead of the match.
Miroslava Salazar, with AFP
