Saudi club Al-Nassr will play a very important match next Monday against Iranian Esteghlal Tehran, in the first leg of the round of 16 of the AFC Champions League. After beating Al-Nassr 3-1 in the league as the third best team in the Western Region, the Saudi team is looking for the quarter-finals, and will have to do so without its most prominent star and the second best scorer in the tournament, Cristiano Ronaldo
But the reason is not any injury or punishment, but rather a problem between the Portuguese and Iranian justice. If Cristiano Ronaldo sets foot on Iranian soil, he risks being arrested and receiving a sentence of 99 lashes on charges of adultery, an unprecedented situation that prompted Al-Nassr and the player to choose not to travel to Iran
The events took place in September 2023, when Al-Nassr faced Persepolis. After the match, Cristiano Ronaldo received a gift in the form of two drawings of his feet by an Iranian artist who suffers from 85% body paralysis. The grateful player hugged him and kissed him on the forehead, a very normal gesture in the West, but very dangerous in Iran, and punishable by criminal law. Since the kiss was not between the spouses, it is considered adultery
The penalty for this type of crime is 99 lashes, a punishment that the judge can only revoke if the heroes publicly repent, although it is not certain that a pardon will be granted
Cristiano Ronaldo stays in Saudi Arabia and will not play against Esteghlal
Since then, Al-Nassr have not played a match in Iran, until this edition of the Champions League when they faced Esteghlal Tehran. Seeing the conflict that could occur, Al-Nassr asked to play the match on neutral ground, but the opposing team refused, so it was necessary to decide whether it was worth the risk or not. The result was that it was best for everyone for Cristiano Ronaldo to stay in Saudi Arabia and not take part in the important match
Al-Nassr had already faced Esteghlal of Iran in the first stage of the tournament, a match that the Saudis won 1-0, thanks to a goal from Aymeric Laporte. The Saudi team is the favorite, although this option is less important in the absence of its stars. “We have to try to improve every day, because we are not yet at the level where we can compare ourselves with the highest level of world football,” recalls their coach Stefano Pioli
