LETTER FROM BEIRUT
In a stand at the Al-Ittihad stadium in Jeddah, June 8, 2023. AFP
Will Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar Jr and Karim Benzema set foot on the turf of the Tehran and Isfahan stadiums in the fall? Still unimaginable a few months ago, the idea is no longer completely incongruous for Iranian football fans, unaccustomed to seeing football stars parade in their country, placed under international sanctions and accused of practicing hostage diplomacy with Western countries. This possibility is one of the most unexpected aspects of the detente agreement, signed in March 2023 between Saudi Arabia and Iran, combined with an unprecedented takeover bid, this season, from Saudi Pro League clubs on the summer transfer window for international players.
On September 4, Riyadh and Tehran reached an agreement for the resumption of home and away matches between their clubs and their national teams, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced. “Fans in Saudi Arabia, the Islamic Republic of Iran and across Asia can now look forward to an exciting new chapter in club and national team football as teams from [la Fédération saoudienne de football] et [de la Fédération islamique de football d’Iran] will compete in a spirit of competition and camaraderie”said the AFC in a press release.
Attract international football stars
During the seven years of open conflict between the two countries, following the breakdown of their diplomatic relations in 2016, the clubs of the two federations clashed on neutral ground – Dubai or Doha – due to the ban on nationals Saudis to travel to Iran. This ban now lifted, the Asian Champions League matches between the clubs of the two countries will be able to be played at home again, for the first time since 2015. And, a consequence of the unbridled ambitions of the Saudi kingdom to position itself as a new power of world football, with the prospect of being the organizing country of the 2034 World Cup, an exorbitant envelope of more than a billion petrodollars was spent this season to attract around fifteen international football stars.
The first Asian Champions League match of the Al-Hilal club from Riyadh, already four times champion of the competition before the arrival of its star striker Cristiano Ronaldo in January 2023, is scheduled for September 19 against the Persepolis club from Tehran, finalist of the 2018 edition. The other club from the Saudi capital, Al-Hilal, which signed the Brazilian Neymar Jr this summer, must face the Nassaji Mazandaran club in Tehran on October 3. The Jeddah club Al-Ittihad, already twice champion of the Asian League, is expected in Isfahan on October 2 to face the Sepahan club with, perhaps, its star striker Karim Benzema. The arrival of these stars is also eagerly awaited in the other countries participating in the competition, such as Iraq or Tajikistan.
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2023-09-11 03:48:41
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