Cristiano Ronaldo absent in Al Nassr match as he could be 'lashed 99 times in Iran'!

Cristiano Ronaldo, the legendary footballer, has skipped Al Nassr's AFC Champions League Elite match against Iranian club Esteghlal for a bizarre reason.

Al Nassr are playing the Iran outfit today (March 3) in Tehran, the capital city of Iran, and Ronaldo didn't travel with his team as a part of the squad.

Why did Cristiano Ronaldo not travel to Iran?

As Al Nassr club released their squad for the AFC Champions League match against Iranian club, Cristiano Ronaldo's name was not seen. Fans were concerned whether the Portugal legend got injured or had any kind of other issues, but the recent developments have revealed a shocking reason why Ronaldo decided to skip visiting Iran.

Cristiano Ronaldo could be Lashed 99 Times in Iran

A bizarre, medieval reason has stopped Cristiano Ronaldo from playing in Iran. The Portugal international could have been booked under Iran's law and could have been charged for adultery, which has a punishment of up to 99 Lashes in the country.

In 2023, Ronaldo visited Tehran for another AFC Champions League match against Persepolis. Thousands of people thronged into the roads of Tehran to see their favourite star. During that tour, Ronaldo was filmed sharing a heartfelt moment with Fatemeh Hammami Nasrabadi, an artist with a disability who creates stunning paintings using her feet.

In the video, Ronaldo embraced her and placed a kiss on her forehead as a sign of admiration and respect. However, under Iranian law, such a gesture could be interpreted as adultery if not directed toward one's spouse, potentially carrying a penalty of up to 99 lashes.

In response to the situation, Al Nassr requested to play their upcoming match at a neutral venue, but their opponents did not approve the proposal. As a result, the club decided to exclude Ronaldo from the squad for the fixture to save him from the 'Lashes'.