Following the Controversy of the Canceled Match, Amir-Abdollahian Claims: We Should Not Allow Sports to Become a Political Lever

While the insistence of the Islamic Republic officials on political slogans and disregard for observers' requests to change the political symbols installed at the Naghshe Jahan Stadium in Isfahan led to the cancellation of the Sepahan team match against Al-Ittihad, the Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic stated that "we should not" allow sports to become a "political lever." Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, speaking on the sidelines of a government meeting in response to the controversy surrounding the canceled match in Isfahan, said: "During the match, I was in direct contact with the Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia." This senior government official pointed out that "we should not allow sports to become a political lever" and said: "Iran and Saudi Arabia have agreed to repeat the Sepahan and Al-Ittihad match at a later time." This claim by the Iranian Foreign Minister comes as the Asian Football Confederation has referred the decision regarding the controversies of this match to its Ethics Committee. Yesterday, the Saudi Football Federation also expressed its "full support" for Al-Ittihad club in response to the controversies arising after the cancellation of the match between Al-Ittihad and Sepahan, emphasizing that "we will take all legal avenues to protect the rights of this club." In its statement, the federation mentioned that the decision to not hold the match was made by the Asian Football Confederation based on reports from its representatives present at the stadium. The Asian Football Confederation also stated that the reason for the cancellation of the match between Sepahan and Al-Ittihad was due to "unexpected and unforeseen conditions." This sports body emphasized that "this issue will be referred to the relevant committees." Sepahan club also announced in a statement that "due to the departure of the Al-Ittihad team from the stadium, it has prepared its evidence for a complaint to the AFC and will take necessary legal action as soon as possible." The presence of a statue of Qassem Soleimani, the former commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, at the Naghshe Jahan Stadium in Isfahan was cited as the reason for the Saudi team's refusal to enter the field, and reports indicate that the officials' refusal to remove this statue from the sports area led to the cancellation of the match. The Saudi newspaper "Arab News" reported that the match between Al-Ittihad in the Asian Champions League against "Sepahan Iran" was officially canceled after the Saudi team and officials refused to enter the stadium where the "Qassem Soleimani statue" was displayed. However, following the events in Isfahan, Tehran municipal officials took action to install extensive banners of Qassem Soleimani throughout the city. The nighttime installation of Qassem Soleimani banners comes as images show that spectators threw various objects at the statue after the match was canceled. Videos released show angry spectators chanting against the Islamic Republic and the politicization of football. This match has had other controversies as well. In a video circulated on social media, a stadium security officer admits that 200 selected women are to be allowed into the stadium to avoid issues with the Asian Football Confederation. This issue is likely to have repercussions for Iranian football. These events occur while the Asian Football Confederation announced on September 4 that Saudi Arabia and Iran have reached an agreement to resume club competitions on each other's soil after seven years. Riyadh officially severed relations with Iran in January 2016 following attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran during protests against the execution of Sheikh Nimr, a Shia cleric. The Asian Football Confederation decided that home-and-away matches between the two countries would be held on neutral ground, an action that the confederation described at the time as its "most regrettable" decision. Last winter, relations between the two countries were re-established based on an agreement signed with China's mediation. The departure of the Al-Ittihad team from the Naghshe Jahan Stadium in Isfahan was on the verge of the match cancellation due to the "presence of the Soleimani statue"; the Asian Football Confederation stated: "It was an unexpected situation."