Isfahan –
Duel Liga Champions Asia between Sepahan vs Al Ittihad failed to hold. The reason is the existence of a statue Qasem Soleimanian Iranian military figure who is unpopular in Saudi Arabia.
The start of this match is scheduled for Monday (2/10/2023) at 23.00 WIB in Naghsh-e-Jahan. Mirror UK wrote that around 60 thousand spectators had filled the stands, and N’Golo Kante et al were present at the stadium.
They had even trained there the day before, and the line-up of the 11 main players had also been announced. However, as soon as they saw a statue of Soleimani, which initially did not exist, Al Ittihad’s attitude immediately changed.
🚨 Iran’s Sepahan game against al-Ittihad in the Asian Champions League cancelled after the Saudi team refused to take the pitch reportedly due to the presence of a Qassim Suleimani’s bust in the ground pic.twitter.com/OmXCMyE22q
– Ahmed Al Omran (@ahmed) October 2, 2023
The half-body statue was placed on the side of the field, precisely between the two reserve benches. Diario AS wrote that Al Ittihad refused to play because of the presence of political elements on the field that had nothing to do with football.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s squad has reportedly left the stadium. It is not yet known whether this match will be held at a later date or not.
“The 2023/24 Asian Champions League Group C match between Sepahan vs Al Ittihad, which was scheduled to be held tonight at the Naghsh-e-Jahan Stadium, Isfahan, has been canceled due to unforeseen circumstances,” read an AFC statement regarding this match.
“AFC reiterates its commitment to ensuring the safety and security of players, match officials, spectators and all stakeholders involved. This matter will now be referred to the relevant committee,” concluded the announcement.
(adp/mrp)
2023-10-02 22:00:25
#statue #Sepahan #Ittihad #canceled
