Own Goal: Bust of Assassinated Quds Force Chief to Remain at Stadium

Iran was probably hoping to score a propaganda goal at the October 2 Asian Champions League football match in Isfahan between that city’s Sepahan club and Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ittihad, and score a goal Iran did – an own goal. The Saudi team refused to leave the locker room due to a statue of assassinated Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force chief Qassim Suleimani placed at the entrance to the field. At the time, the Asian Football Confederation stated the game had been canceled “due to unanticipated and unforeseen circumstances.” Sepahan team officials immediately argued the team should be declared the winner because the Saudi team did not play, but Shargh Daily on December 11 reported the Asian Football Confederation awarded Al-Ittihad a 3-0 win, fined Sepahan $200,000, and banned Sepahan from hosting its next three league matches at home. Still worse from Sepahan’s point of view, there is no prospect of the statue being removed in the near future, meaning this will not be the last own goal scored by regime officials.

• December 11: Quoting a December 9 statement from Vice President for Executive Affairs Mohsen Mansouri, reformist Shargh Daily wrote: “The decision not to remove the bust of Haj Qassim,” referencing Suleimani, “was a very correct decision. You saw that the bust was not removed, and it shall not be removed since we are always committed to our values and will not sell them out.”

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