Shafaq News / The anticipated face-off between Saudi Arabia's Al-Ittihad and Iran's Sepahan faced an unexpected delay from its scheduled kickoff time of 7 PM in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The delay, attributed to the presence of certain political banners and sculptures within Sepahan's stadium, became a bone of contention between the Saudi delegation and the Iranian hosts.

Members of the Saudi club's delegation revealed that the postponement stemmed from the existence of politically charged banners and sculptures inside the Iranian stadium. Consequently, Al-Ittihad's management demanded their removal before the match could commence. As of now, the Asian Football Confederation has yet to make a definitive decision, leaving the possibility of match postponement or cancellation hanging in the balance.

Speculation has arisen within Saudi sports forums, suggesting that the root cause of the delay was a sculpture depicting the former commander of the Quds Force, Qasem Soleimani, who was assassinated near Baghdad Airport by a U.S. drone.