Iranian Sepahan v Saudi Al-Ittihad match cancelled over Soleimani bust
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The AFC Champions League clash between Sepahan and Al-Ittihad is abruptly canceled reportedly due to Al-Ittihad players' refusal to enter the stadium.
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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.
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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.
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