Iranian Sepahan v Saudi Al-Ittihad match cancelled over Soleimani bust

By Al Mayadeen English
2 Oct 2023 22:42

The AFC Champions League clash between Sepahan and Al-Ittihad is abruptly canceled reportedly due to Al-Ittihad players' refusal to enter the stadium.

Asian Football Confederation Champions League logo

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced the cancellation of the match between the Iranian Sepahan S.C. team and the Saudi Arabian guest team Al-Ittihad Club on Monday.

The match was scheduled to take place at 19:00 al-Quds time as part of the Group C fixtures in the AFC Champions League at the Naqsh-e Jahan Stadium in Isfahan.

"The match between Sepahan from Iran and Saudi Arabia's Al-Ittihad, scheduled to take place at Naghsh-e Jahan Stadium in Isfahan on Monday evening, has been canceled due to unforeseen circumstances," the Asian Football Confederation said.

سبب انسحاب نادي الاتحاد السعودي من مواجهة سيباهان أصفهان الإيراني في طهران ، يعود إلى وجود تمثال قاسم سليماني في أرض الملعب، بعد رفض طلب الاتحاد بإبعاده عن الاستاد. البعثة السعودية في طريقها إلى المطار الآن في طريق العودة إلى جدة . pic.twitter.com/lrvc62u6vo
— Mohamed Alkaoud _محمد القاعود (@melkaaoud) October 2, 2023

According to circulating reports, the cancellation was allegedly triggered by the refusal of Ittihad team players to enter the stadium due to the presence of a bust of the late Martyr General Qassem Soleimani.

Interestingly, the Ittihad Club reportedly conducted its training session at the same stadium on Sunday without any objections to the statue's presence.