Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) officially announced the victory of Saudi club Al-Ittihad over Iran’s Sepahan FC 3-0 in the Asian Champions League match that was cancelled following the Iranian club’s violation of the rules and regulations. The match, scheduled to be held on October 2, 2023, was canceled due to the objection of Al-Ittihad officials to the presence of a statue and pictures bearing a political nature inside the stadium.

The Asian Football Confederation ruled that Al-Ittihad should be awarded a 3-0 win and that Sepahan Isfahan should pay a fine of $200,000. According to the reports, Sepahan was also banned from hosting its next three Asian Champions League matches at home. The AFC's decision came after it was revealed in the investigation by the Disciplinary Committee that the Sepahan Club had violated the AFC's regulations by placing pictures and statues of a political nature inside the match stadium, which is considered as a violation of the rules of fair play.