The Iranian embassy in Spain has reacted to information that Saudi Arabia's Al-Nassr forward Cristiano Ronaldo faces a sentence of 99 lashes for embracing and kissing Iranian artist Fatemeh Hamami.
The Iranian embassy issued the following statement:
We strongly deny the issuance of any court ruling against any international athlete in Iran. It should be noted that Cristiano Ronaldo travelled to Iran on September 18 and 19 to play in an official football 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.
Earlier, Rouydad24 reported that Al-Nassr's Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo faces a punishment of 99 lashes if he returns to Iran.
In September, during a visit to the Asian country, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner hugged and kissed local artist Fatemeh. Outside of marriage, such an act is considered a serious violation of Iran's laws.