September 18, 2023
“Welcome Ronaldo!”.Soccer fan Iran they received the legend Al Nasrfacing the locals this Tuesday Persepolis, Tehran (departs Colombia at 1:00 PM)A duel became possible thanks to a diplomatic rapprochement between Iran and Saudi Arabia.
smiling, cristiano ronaldo Dozens of Iranian fans cheered as his teammates left the airport on a bus. Imam Khomeini.
CR7, 38, received a luxurious Persian rug as a gift from the President of Persepolis.
Large flags with the word “Welcome” and images of Portuguese legends hung from road bridges in the huge Iranian capital, which is not used to receiving international symbols due to its diplomatic isolation.
“This is very exciting!”Navid Borhanifar, a 28-year-old Ronaldo fan, couldn’t be more excited.He said he was waiting “An excellent match between Nasr and Persepolis, with experienced players on both sides.”
Unfortunately, due to sanctions imposed by the national team, there will be no fans on Tuesday at the Azadi Stadium, the largest stadium in the country with 90,000 seats. Asian Football Confederation (AFC) In 2021, after a controversial post on her Instagram page Persepolis.
The match will be played behind closed doors and will be broadcast on television.
Before the duel begins, the Al-Nassr players will be preceded by a “Elite Unit” According to the Varzesh 3 sports page, this is part of the security forces dedicated to the president’s foreign visits.
One of its tasks is to “Prevent all contact between fans and players” Players on the Saudi team, the website said.
relationship repair
The game is played at the start of the game Asian Champions League, After signing important players in the last window, the Saudi club is now the favorite.
Al Nasr surrounds Ronaldo, signing Senegalese Sadio Mane and Ivorian at the start of the year Seko Fofana. The Saudi team will also go into the match with the motive of avenging their 2020 UEFA semi-final loss to Persepolis.
Persepolis is the club with the most titles and fans in Iran and has been a finalist in the continental competition twice, in 2018 and 2020, while Al-Nassr won the title in 1995.
The match also has important diplomatic implications as it is played between a Saudi club and an Iranian club on a “partial” rather than neutral venue, as has been the case for the past seven years.
On Monday night, another Saudi club, Al-Ittihad, will face Iran. Sepahan, in Riyadh.
The AFC sanctioned the games in August, five months after a deal to restore ties between the two Middle Eastern heavyweights ended in March with China as a mediator.
Saudi ArabiaSunni-majority Iran and Shia-majority Iran severed ties after an attack on a Saudi diplomatic mission in 2016 by Iranian protesters protesting the execution of a Shiite cleric in Riyadh.
The AFC reached an agreement saying that the “AFC era” has arrived. “Very unfortunate”which allows the two teams to compete at a neutral venue.