Cristiano Ronaldo will be in action on Tuesday evening for a match in the Asian/Australian Champions League against Persepolis. The match will be played in the Iranian capital and so the fans welcomed CR7. The Portuguese superstar watched as an exuberant crowd chased his team’s team bus as it arrived.
It certainly won’t be a witch’s cauldron in the stadium. Due to a combination of circumstances, the match will be played behind closed doors. But that didn’t stop the Iranian fans from giving Ronaldo a warm welcome. Images show hundreds of people taking over the road and chasing the team bus with great enthusiasm. Fortunately, upon arrival at the hotel, CR7 could count on a team of security personnel who escorted him to his room.
Upon arrival at Imam Khomeini Airport, things were a bit more serene earlier in the day. Ronaldo was presented with a traditional Persian carpet. His teammates received perhaps an even more remarkable gift, namely a SIM card. This way, Al-Nasrr players can surf the internet without limits. A slap in the face to the Iranian people because they do not have access to this due to the restrictions imposed by the government.
© AP
© EPA-EFE
No fans in the stadium
The Aazdi Stadium, which can accommodate more than 78,000 spectators, will therefore remain completely empty. The reason for this is a tweet from Persepolis two seasons ago. The club cited the Iranian invasion of India before the CL match against the Indian FC Goa. The tweet was quickly deleted, but the damage was done. Their Indian opponent was not pleased with the incident and so a complaint was filed. Persepolis was punished, but due to their failure to qualify for the Champions League last season, the sanction can only now be imposed. The result was an empty stadium for the match against Ronaldo and Al-Nasrr.