Tuesday September 19, the Saudi team Al-Nassr faces the Iranian club Persepolis in Tehran. A match from the group stage of the Asian Champions League. With a leading star: Cristiano Ronaldo, whose arrival literally unleashed passions.
Imagine the effect that one of the best players in the world can have when he arrives in a country under international sanctions, a country where world stars do not rush to the gate, a country where access to social networks is limited, repressed civil society… but it is also a country where football is both a national sport and an outlet, where every match of Team Melli, the national team, every club match is an event … Well when Ronaldo arrives in Iran, it looks like this. A crazy welcome for his bus at the airport:
Afterwards, fans broke through security and invaded his hotel lobby to try to take a photo of him. The hysterical fans were so noisy that, in the evening, Ronaldo waved to them through his bedroom window to tell them he wanted to sleep…. he still has a match to play!
A diplomatic rapprochement sponsored by China
A match between a Saudi club and an Iranian club in Tehran is a first. This event was made possible thanks to the diplomatic rapprochement between the two countries. In 2016, Saudi Arabia, with a Sunni majority, and Iran, with a Shiite majority, severed diplomatic relations after Riyadh’s execution of an influential Shiite cleric. So that the two countries could still continue to face each other on a football field, the Asian Confederation had found an arrangement: the matches were played on neutral ground.
But this year, in the spring, the two rival powers agreed to renew ties. A rapprochement of reason sponsored by China, which made it possible to reduce tension in the region. The embassies have reopened, ministers’ trips have taken place, while awaiting those of the leaders. In short, it became possible after seven somewhat complicated seasons to play on the opponent’s field.
Match behind closed doors and extreme protection
Big disappointment for the supporters: the match will be played behind closed doors. The Iranian club Persepolis, the most successful in Iran, is the subject of a sanction by the Confederation. During a meeting in 2021 against the Indian club FC Goa, Persepolis FC wanted to up the ante by denouncing the invasion of India by Iran in the 18th century – an event which never existed. The Azadi stadium, the largest in the country, will therefore be completely empty, the Iranians will follow the match on TV.
As for the Saudis, until kick-off, the fervor is such that Al-Nasser’s players will be placed under the security of an elite law enforcement unit, specialized in presidential trips.