IRANIAN EMBASSY DENIES RONALDO DUE LASHES

The Iranian embassy has refuted reports that Cristiano Ronaldo did not play in Iran due to an incident involving a fan in 2023. The Portuguese star was absent from Al Nassr's squad during their Asian Champions League clash with Iranian side Esteghlal, despite having played the full 90 minutes in a recent 2-1 defeat to Al Orubah.

Several media outlets, including MARCA, RMC Sport, and La Nacion, had speculated that Ronaldo's absence was linked to an incident with a disabled fan, Fatemeh Hammami, during a meeting in 2023.

Hammami, an artist who creates portraits with her feet, had met Ronaldo at a hotel during Al Nassr's away match against Persepolis. Some reports suggested that by touching a married woman, Ronaldo was in violation of Iran’s strict laws regarding adultery, with claims that he could face prosecution, including 99 lashes.

However, the Iranian embassy has firmly denied these allegations, emphasizing that there was no court ruling issued against Ronaldo. A spokesperson for the embassy stated: "We strongly deny the issuance of any court ruling against any international athlete in Iran. His sincere and humane meeting with Fatemeh Hammami was also praised and admired by both the people and the country’s sports authorities."

The embassy’s statement came after a series of reports linked Ronaldo’s absence to the incident with Hammami, suggesting that it may have influenced his decision not to travel to Iran.

In contrast, the Saudi Gazette reported that Ronaldo's absence from the squad was due to muscle fatigue. The claim was further corroborated by GOAL.com, which quoted Hammami herself in 2023, refuting the media claims about the fan incident.

Ronaldo’s non-participation in the game against Esteghlal sparked a wave of media speculation, but the clarification from the Iranian embassy and reports from other outlets have put those rumors to rest. Despite the controversy, it seems that Ronaldo’s absence was purely down to fitness concerns rather than any legal or personal issues in Iran.