Current:Home > ScamsSaudi soccer team refuses to play in Iran over busts of slain general, in potential diplomatic row-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Saudi soccer team refuses to play in Iran over busts of slain general, in potential diplomatic row
View Date:2024-12-23 20:55:30
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A Saudi soccer 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, one of several matches made possible by a recent diplomatic rapprochement between the longtime Mideast rivals that has recently come under strain.
The Saudi team did not take to the field because of busts of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who commanded Iran’s elite Quds Force before he was killed in a U.S. drone strike in neighboring Iraq in January 2020, and other political banners, Saudi Arabia’s Al Ekhbariya TV reported.
Soleimani was seen as playing a key role in arming, training and leading armed groups across the region, including fighters from the Houthi rebel group in Yemen. Saudi Arabia has been at war with the Iran-aligned rebels in Yemen since 2015.
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 where an estimated 60,000 fans were waiting.
Videos circulating on social media appeared to show angry Iranian fans chanting that politics should be kept out of soccer. Iranian media reported that the busts of Soleimani had been placed there three years ago, and that Al Ittihad had practiced in the stadium on Sunday.
Al Ekhbariya later ran footage of the Saudi team at the Isfahan airport, saying they were headed home.
The league said the Group C match was cancelled “due to unanticipated and unforeseen circumstances,” without elaborating.
“The AFC reiterates its commitment towards ensuring the safety and security of the players, match officials, spectators, and all stakeholders involved. This matter will now be referred to the relevant committees,” it said in a statement.
There was no official comment from Saudi Arabia or Iran.
Iran’s ruling clerics and their supporters hail Soleimani as a hero because of his leading role in military operations against the United States, the Islamic State group and other perceived enemies. Iran launched a barrage of missiles at U.S. bases in Iraq after he was killed, and has vowed to take further actions to avenge his death.
As well as the insurgents in Yemen, Soleimani also aided Shiite militias in Iraq, the Lebanese Hezbollah, and fighters in Syria and the Palestinian territories.
Western nations considered Soleimani a terrorist who sowed instability across the region.
The soccer tournament, which features 40 teams from around Asia, is the first since 2015 to see Saudi Arabian and Iranian teams play home and away games on each other’s soil. After diplomatic relations between Tehran and Riyadh were broken in 2016, games usually took place in neutral venues.
Iranian fans had thrilled at the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo and other soccer stars who have been drawn to Saudi clubs over the past year by lavish contracts.
The two countries, which have long backed opposite sides in the region’s conflicts, restored diplomatic relations earlier this year in an agreement brokered by China. That raised hopes that the devastating war in Yemen, which has been winding down in recent years, might finally come to an end.
But tensions rose again last week after an attack blamed on the Houthi rebels killed four soldiers who were patrolling Saudi Arabia’s southern border with Yemen. The soldiers were from Bahrain, a close Saudi ally, and Bahrain blamed the Houthis, who have not publicly acknowledged the attack.
Yemen’s war began in 2014 when the Houthis swept down from their northern stronghold and seized the capital, Sanaa, along with much of the north. A Saudi-led coalition intervened in 2015 to try to restore the internationally recognized government to power.
The fighting soon devolved into a stalemated proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, causing widespread hunger and misery in Yemen, which even before the conflict had been the Arab world’s poorest country. The war has killed more than 150,000 people, including fighters and civilians, and created one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters, killing tens of thousands more.
Last month, Saudi Arabia welcomed a Houthi delegation for peace talks, saying the negotiations had “positive results.” A U.N.-brokered cease-fire that took effect in April 2022 largely halted the violence, and the relative calm continued even after it expired last October.
veryGood! (9294)
Related
- Karol G addresses backlash to '+57' lyric: 'I still have a lot to learn'
- There's an effective morning-after pill for STIs but it's not clear it works in women
- More than 150 names linked to Jeffrey Epstein to be revealed in Ghislaine Maxwell lawsuit
- Your single largest payday may be a 2023 tax filing away. File early to get a refund sooner
- 12 college students charged with hate crimes after assault in Maryland
- Texas man's photo of 'black panther' creates buzz. Wildlife experts say it's not possible
- Arizona man arrested for allegedly making online threats against federal agents and employees
- 'Barbie's Greta Gerwig, Noah Baumbach are married
- Nevada Democrats keep legislative control but fall short of veto-proof supermajority
- Watch Los Angeles Chargers kicker Cameron Dicker's viral Pro Bowl campaign video
Ranking
- Mattel says it ‘deeply’ regrets misprint on ‘Wicked’ dolls packaging that links to porn site
- Australia to send military personnel to help protect Red Sea shipping but no warship
- NFL Week 16 odds: Moneylines, point spreads, over/under
- Toyota recalling 1 million vehicles for potential air bag problem
- Kevin Costner says he hasn't watched John Dutton's fate on 'Yellowstone': 'Swear to God'
- Dunkin' employees in Texas threatened irate customer with gun, El Paso police say
- A passenger hid bullets in a baby diaper at New York’s LaGuardia Airport. TSA officers caught him
- Yes, your diet can lower cholesterol levels. But here's how exercise does, too.
Recommendation
-
Beyoncé nominated for album of the year at Grammys — again. Will she finally win?
-
NYC Council approves bill banning solitary confinement in city jails
-
Watch Los Angeles Chargers kicker Cameron Dicker's viral Pro Bowl campaign video
-
NYC Council approves bill banning solitary confinement in city jails
-
High-scoring night in NBA: Giannis Antetokounmpo explodes for 59, Victor Wembanyama for 50
-
Demi Lovato’s Ex Max Ehrich Sets the Record Straight on Fake Posts After Her Engagement to Jutes
-
There's an effective morning-after pill for STIs but it's not clear it works in women
-
Too late to buy an Apple Watch for Christmas? Apple pauses Ultra 2, Series 9 sales