Anguish in the AFC Champions League: Al-Ittihad match was canceled due to the presence of political symbols on the field – Saudi Arabia

Al-Ittihad’s match this afternoon in the AFC Champions League, against the Iranian team Sepahan (a team coached by Jose Moraes), was cancelled, first due to the Saudi club’s protest, and later due to the decision of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The Football Association itself… The matter is related to the presence of three statues of Iranian political symbols next to the stadium, which was understood as a message of a political nature, especially since relations between the two countries have been tense for a long time. One of the statues — which has drawn the most outrage — pays tribute to Qasem Soleimani, the Iranian general who was killed in a US special operation in 2020 and who was accused by the Saudi government of having links to terrorist groups, specifically ISIS. . Initially, Nuno Espirito Santo’s team refused to warm up and asked for the match to be postponed, pending the removal of the three statues. The AFC itself also requested that the busts be removed from that site, but this did not happen and the decision was made to cancel the match. After that, Al-Ittihad left the stadium and returned to the airport, returning to Riyadh.