Cristiano Ronaldo could potentially face a severe punishment, including ’99 lashes for adultery,’ during his next visit to Iran due to a photograph taken with a painter. This situation has been reported in Iranian media, raising concerns about the football star’s future trips to the country.
The controversy revolves around Ronaldo’s visit to Tehran, the capital of Iran, with his club Al-Nassr to participate in a match against Persepolis during the group stage of the Asian Champions League in September. During his visit, Ronaldo encountered Iranian painter Fatima Hamimi, who had created a special painting for the Portuguese international and wished to present it to him.
In the course of this meeting, Ronaldo kissed Hamimi on the cheek, gifted her a signed shirt, and even posed for a photograph in which he embraced her. It is this photograph that has drawn the attention of Iranian lawyers, who argue that, according to Iranian law, physical contact with a woman is considered equivalent to adultery.
Hamimi, described as being ’85 percent paralysed,’ is a devoted admirer of Ronaldo. Reports from Iranian network Sharq Emroz suggest that the Iranian justice system swiftly reacted to the photograph, sentencing Ronaldo to ’99 lashes’ during his future visits to Iran.
Al-Nassr is currently competing in the group stage of the Asian Champions League, sharing Group E with teams like Persepolis, Al-Duhail from Qatar, and Istiklol from Tajikistan. Although Ronaldo will not return to Iran during this stage of the competition, the possibility remains that he may need to set foot on Iranian soil if his team advances to the knockout rounds.
It is noted that Ronaldo’s sentence could potentially be forgiven by a judge if ‘the acts are not punishable or Ronaldo shows remorse,’ as reported by Marca. However, this unusual situation has raised concerns about his future travels to Iran.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been in a relationship with Spanish model Georgina Rodriguez since 2016, and the couple has two children together, Alana Martina and Bella Esmeralda. Rodriguez is also the mother of his three other children, including his eldest child Cristiano Jr. and twins Eva and Mateo, who were born via surrogate. Both Rodriguez and their children followed Ronaldo to Saudi Arabia when he joined Al-Nassr, a move confirmed on New Year’s Eve last year.
Mail Sport has sought comments from Ronaldo’s representatives regarding this situation.