Iran says it has agreed with Saudis to reschedule Asian Champions League soccer match after walkout

Published October 4, 2023 3:05 AM

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran says it has agreed with Saudi Arabia to reschedule an Asian Champions League match after the Saudi team walked out at the last minute. Monday’s walkout was reportedly motivated by the presence of a statue of a slain Iranian general on the sideline. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. drone strike in 2020, is celebrated as a war hero by many in Iran but was seen as a terrorist by Western nations and Iran’s opponents in the Middle East. The walkout appeared to further strain a recent rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran. But both sides now appear eager to move past it. Iran’s foreign minister said Wednesday that sport “should not be used as political leverage” by any side.

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