- Ronaldo hugged a painter who gave him a gift during his visit to Iran in September
- The Portuguese superstar could be sentenced to “99 lashes” on his next visit to Iran
- Listen to the latest episode of Mail Sport’s ‘It’s All Kicking Off!’ podcast.
According to reports in the country, Cristiano Ronaldo could face a penalty of “99 lashes for adultery” on his next visit to Iran over a photo with a painter.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Iranian media have claimed that a large number of lawyers in the country have filed a complaint against the Al-Nassr star because the photo was taken during his visit there in September.
Ronaldo, who is in a relationship with Spanish model Georgina Rodriguez, visited Tehran, the capital of Iran, with Al-Nassr to face Persepolis in the Asian Champions League group stage in September.
There the Portuguese international met the Iranian painter Fatima Hamimi, who wanted to give the former Manchester United and Real Madrid star a picture that she made especially for him.
It is said Ronaldo kissed her on the cheek and gave her a signed T-shirt, while also posing for a photo hugging her, which has drawn the ire of Iranian lawyers.
Cristiano Ronaldo could face a sentence of “99 lashes for adultery” on his next visit to Iran over this photo of him hugging painter Fatima Hamimi
Ronaldo has been in a long-term relationship with Spanish model Georgina Rodriguez
This is because according to Iranian law, touching a married woman is tantamount to adultery.
Hamimi is said to be “85 percent paralyzed” and is a big fan of the Portuguese star.
According to Mundo Deportivo, the Iranian network Sharq Emroz states that the Iranian judicial system reacted quickly to the photo of the couple and sentenced Ronaldo to 99 lashes on his next trip to Iran.
Al-Nassr competes in the group stage of the Asian Champions League, where they play in Group E alongside Persepolis of Iran, Al-Duhail of Qatar and Istiklol of Takikistan.
He will not return to Iran at this stage of the competition, but should it reach the knockout stages, it cannot be ruled out that he will have to set foot on Iranian soil again.
It is said that if he does so, Ronaldo could be arrested by Iranian authorities to force him to serve the sentence.
However, as Marca reports, the sentence could be given by a judge if “the actions are not criminal or Ronaldo shows remorse.”
Ronaldo is currently training with the Portuguese team ahead of the upcoming matches
Rodriguez recently posted this picture of her and Ronaldo together in Saudi Arabia
In a picture on his Instagram account, the veteran can be seen teaching his teammates during a session
Ronaldo has been dating Rodriguez since 2016 and they have two children together, Alana Martina and Bella Esmeralda.
Rodriguez is also mother to his three other children, eldest child Cristiano Jr. and twins Eva and Mateo, who were born via surrogate.
Rodriguez and the children followed Ronaldo to Saudi Arabia when he joined Al-Nassr, a deal confirmed on New Year’s Eve last year.
Mail Sport has contacted Ronaldo’s representative for comment.
Ronaldo met the painter after visiting Iran in September for Al-Nassr’s Asian Champions League match against Persepolis in the country’s capital Tehran
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