Iranwire – Iranian football team Sepahan was penalized with a 3-0 loss and a fine over a canceled Asian Champions League match against Saudi Arabia’s Al Ittihad, according to Iranian media.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has not issued a public statement about the reported decision.
Al Ittihad was set to play Sepahan in Isfahan on October 2 but walked out at the last minute over the presence of a statue of the late General Qassem Soleimani outside the entrance tunnel.
Soleimani, who led the expeditionary Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was killed in a US drone strike in Iraq in January 2020. He is seen as a war hero by the Islamic Republic and its supporters.
The AFC ruled that Al Ittihad should be awarded a 3-0 win, and that Sepahan should pay a fine of $200,000 and be banned from hosting its next three Asian Champions League matches at home, Iranian media reported.
The reports cited a statement by Sepahan that the club will file an official complaint with the AFC.