Iran's foreign minister downplays Saudi soccer spat, touts good relations
The sport row started over an Iranian bust of Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps commander Qasem Soleimani placed inside the Isfahan stadium
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian confirmed on Wednesday that an agreement was reached with Saudi Arabia over a spat, resulting in a canceled soccer game earlier in the week.
“I agreed with my Saudi counterpart not to allow sport to be a political tool,” the Iranian minister stated.
“Relations with Saudi Arabia are moving in the right direction,” Amir-Abdollahian added.
The row started over a bust of assassinated Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) commander Qasem Soleimani, placed at the entrance to a stadium in the Iranian city of Isfahan. An Asian Champions League match was supposed to take place there on Monday, but was canceled.
Saudi club Al Ittihad refused to enter the stadium for a game against Iran's Sepahan FC, protesting the presence of the Soleimani bust, who oversaw Iran's military operations across the Middle East until his death in a targeted U.S. drone strike in 2020.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said the game was canceled "due to unanticipated and unforeseen circumstances".
While speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Amir-Abdollahian urged the AFC "to think about this incident on a technical basis" and said he had reached agreement with the Saudi side for the game to be rescheduled.
Monday's game would have been the second time a Saudi club had played an away game in Iran since a recent rapprochement.
On September 19, Saudi club Al Nassr, who boast five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo among their stars, beat Tehran club Persepolis 2-0 in the Iranian capital.
Monday's spat did not prevent another AFC game from going ahead in Tehran's Azadi stadium on Tuesday. Saudi club Al Hilal, who signed Brazil star Neymar in August, beat Iran's Nassaji Mazandaran 3-0.