Cristiano Ronaldo will miss Al-Nassr’s trip to Tehran (Iran) on Monday, as part of the AFC Champions League Round of 16, under the threat of a possible adultery charge.
Al-Nassr announced on Sunday the list of players selected by Stefano Pioli for the AFC Champions League Round of 16 first leg against Iranian club Esteghlal FC. Scheduled for Monday (5pm), the match will be played without Cristiano Ronaldo, who has been left out by his coach. And for a reason that has nothing to do with soccer. “CR7” risks being accused of alleged adultery, following an episode dating back to 2023.
In September of that year, the five-time Portuguese Ballon d’Or winner travelled with Al-Nassr to Tehran to face Persepolis. As Corriere della Sera recalled on Saturday, Cristiano Ronaldo took the opportunity to pay his respects to an Iranian artist named Fatemej Hammami Nasrabadi, who is 85% paralysed and paints with her lower limbs. The Lusitanian hugged her and kissed her on the forehead. A gesture which, according to Iranian law, can be interpreted as an adulterous gesture since it was not directed at the person’s spouse.
Up to a hundred lashes for “CR7
Al-Nassr therefore preferred to avoid the threat to its star by leaving him at home. The punishment for such a gesture could cost Cristiano Ronaldo up to a hundred lashes, if the laws currently in force in Iran on the subject are anything to go by, added the Italian media. Initially, Al-Nassr’s representatives had asked for the match against Esteghlal to be relocated, but the Iranian club refused, offering however to provide special protection for “CR7”.
Without the Portuguese, Al-Nassr will be hoping to get a good result from their trip. Marcelo Brozovic, Sadio Mané, Jhon Duran and the rest of Stefano Pioli’s squad will have to do their utmost to ensure that the return leg in Saudi Arabia on March 10 is nothing more than a formality if they are to qualify for the quarter-finals. And given the Saudi team’s inconsistent results over the last few weeks, the contract has yet to be fulfilled.
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