A Saudi football team refused to play a match in Iran on Monday because of the presence of busts of a slain Iranian general placed on the sidelines, Saudi state media reported.
The Saudi Al Ittihad club was scheduled to play Iran’s Sepahan in the the Asian Champions League.
The Saudi team did not take to the field because of busts of Gen. Qassem Soleimani who was killed in 2020, and other political banners.
Three busts of Soleimani had been placed along the sidelines for the teams to walk past on their way out of the tunnel. After around 30 minutes of delay, the Saudi Arabian champion team, which had selected stars such as N’Golo Kante and Fabinho, signed from Chelsea and Liverpool respectively in the summer, left the Naghsh-e-Jahan Stadium.
The league said the Group C match was cancelled “due to unanticipated and unforeseen circumstances,” without elaborating.
