Credit: Twitter
On Friday various reports claimed that Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has been sentenced to severe punishment by the Iranian government on the charges of adultery. However, the Iranian Embassy in Spain was quick to terminate the fake reports stating that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner's meeting with Iranian painter Fatemeh Hamami was "praised and admired" by the country.
Cristiano Ronaldo-led Al-Nassr faced Iranian side Persepolis in the AFC Champions League 2023-24 group stage on September 19 at the Azadi Stadium in Tehran. The Saudi Pro League giants won the match 2-0 against Persepolis and continued their top spot in Group E with two wins in two matches.
During Ronaldo's visit to Iran for their AFC Champions League match last month, the 38-year-old received a painting of himself from Fatemeh and hugged her as they posed for a picture. According to Spanish sports media outlet, Mundo Deportivo, a number of lawyers in Iran filed a criminal complaint about the hug, as touching a woman who is not your wife is seen as adultery in the country. The report also stated that the judicial system sentenced the leading international goal-scorer of all time to 99 lashes.
However, the Iranian Embassy in Madrid was quick to shrug off the fake reports and released a statement on X that read, "We strongly deny the issuance of any court ruling against any international athlete in Iran. It is a matter of concern that the publication of such unfounded news could overshadow crimes against humanity and war crimes against the oppressed Palestinian nation."
It added, "It should be noted that Cristiano Ronaldo traveled to Iran on September 18 and 19 to play in an official soccer match and was very well received by the people and the authorities. His sincere and humane meeting with Fatemeh Hamami was also praised and admired by both the people and the country's sports authorities."
On Friday night, Ronaldo-led Portugal qualified for the Euro 2024 in Germany after winning their seventh game in the European championship qualifying. The Al-Nassr captain scored two goals in the game taking his international goal-scoring tally to 125 while he registered 857 goals in his career overall.
