Iran says Iranian-Saudi football match will be rescheduled after row

By Syed Zafar Mehdi

TEHRAN, Iran (AA) - In the first Iranian reaction to a row surrounding a canceled football game between Iran’s Sepahan club and Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ittihad, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said Wednesday the game must not become a “political lever.”

The Asian Champions League (AFC) match was scheduled to take place on Monday at the Naqsh e Jahan stadium in central Iran's Isfahan city.

Unconfirmed reports said that the football match was canceled due to the presence of a statue of former Iranian general Qassem Soleimani inside the stadium.

Speaking to reporters in Tehran, Amir-Abdollahian said he was in “direct contact” with his Saudi Arabian counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan during the AFC match.

He said the AFC, the governing body of football in Asia, must take a decision on the canceled match “on a technical basis.”

The top diplomat added that there is an agreement between both Tehran and Riyadh to reschedule the game at a time agreed upon by both sides.

Amir-Abdollahian said relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia, who restored their diplomatic ties in March after a hiatus of seven years, are “on the right path”.

He added that the two countries must not allow sports to “become a political lever.”

Iran’s Sepahan football club said the match was called off by the referee, saying they would lodge a complaint with the AFC. Al-Ittihad club, meanwhile, said the AFC observer decided to cancel the game.

The AFC said the match was canceled due to “unanticipated” and “unforeseen circumstances,” adding that the issue would be referred to the relevant committees.

Pertinently, Saudi Arabia's star-studded Al-Nassr football club played last month against Iran's Persepolis at Tehran's Azadi Stadium, which the Saudi team won 2-0.

Saudi football clubs have been visiting Iran in recent months after several years, marking a de-escalation of tensions between the two countries.