Several Iranian, Spanish and French media claim that Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo was convicted of adultery in Iran after hugging a painter. Rumor denied by the competent authorities.
It is a rumor that has been circulating on social networks for several weeks and even in certain Iranian, Spanish and French media: international footballer Cristiano Ronaldo risks receiving 99 lashes when he returns to Iran, because he would have been sentenced there for adultery. But it’s wrong.
Contacted by franceinfo, the Iranian embassy in France ensures that “this is nonsense” and that you shouldn’t believe everything you read on the internet. The Iranian embassy in Spain also made a denial on the social network Xformerly Twitter. “We categorically deny any court decision against any international athlete,” she wrote.
Denial from the Iranian embassy
The rumor comes from the interpretation of a video published on the internet. A man explains in Persian that Cristiano Ronaldo faces a sentence of 99 lashes for illegitimate relationship because of his behavior when he went to Iran in mid-September to participate in the Asian Champions League with his Saudi football club Al-Nassr against Persepolis.
Cristiano Ronaldo met disabled Iranian painter Fatemeh Hamami. A video of the scene, published by the Saudi club, shows the Portuguese offering her a jersey, hugging her twice under the gaze of photographers and placing a kiss on her forehead. These are the gestures that could be considered an illegitimate relationship according to this video.
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و تلتقي بقائد #النصر كريستيانو رونالدو 💛 pic.twitter.com/0HsoMIacGv— نادي النصر السعودي (@AlNassrFC) September 19, 2023
The accusation was echoed by Iranian media outlets such as Rouydad24 , Shargh and many others who copied exactly the same text, sometimes saying that the footballer “incurred” 99 lashes, as long as he had been “sentenced”. False information then taken up by the Spanish sports media Marca then by French media such as The Independent And The Dispatch .
But the Iranian embassy in Spain assures that this meeting “sincere and human with Fatemeh Hamami was praised and admired both by the population and by the country’s sports authorities”.
We accept the issue of any judicial failure against any international sportsman in Iran. It is a matter of concern that the publication of unfounded reports may eclipse human and war crimes against the oppressed… pic.twitter.com/51xw40L7Gp
— Embajada de Irán en España (@IraninSpain) October 13, 2023
Very regular rumors of legal setbacks
This rumor is far from being a first. Cristiano Ronaldo is regularly the subject of articles inventing or worrying about possible legal setbacks.
Already last August, media reports believed that he was going to be arrested for making the sign of the cross after scoring a goal in Saudi Arabia. In April, others said he was going to be sentenced for “the crime of public indecency” for touching his genitals during a match. In January, still others worried that he would not be able to live with his partner because of Saudi laws.
Each time it clicks, but Cristiano Ronaldo is not doomed.