Fact Check: Has Iran sentenced Cristiano Ronaldo to 99 lashes for adultery?

Portugal and Al-Nassr forward Cristiano Ronaldo was in hot water this week after he was seen embracing Iranian artist Fatemeh Hamami while visiting the country in September.

Ronaldo's warm gesture was misinterpreted and caused a huge stir as no man in Iran is allowed to touch a woman who is not his wife. If they do so, it could be considered as adultery, which is a punishable offence.

As per MoneyControl, several Iranian lawyers filed criminal reports against Cristiano Ronaldo and that he was sentenced to 99 lashes for his actions.

However, the Iranian Embassy in Spain were quick to squash the rumors as they cleared Ronaldo of any wrongdoings in their X (Twitter) post.

An excerpt from their translated statement reads:

"Cristiano Ronaldo traveled to Iran on September 18 and 19 to play in an official football match and was well received by the public.

"His sincere and humane meeting with Fatemeh Hamami was also praised and admired by both the people and the country's sports authorities."

Cristiano Ronaldo was with Al-Nassr to play an AFC Champions League game against Persepolis FC when this incident happened last month.

Having been accused of 'adultery' by several Iranian people, the Portuguese forward was in the clear having embraced his self-proclaimed die-hard fan in Hamami.

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Cristiano Ronaldo reaches incredible milestone for Portugal

Having made his 200th appearance for the Selecao in their 1-0 win over Iceland in June, Ronaldo was already among the record setters in Portuguese football.

Last night, he bagged a brace to take his tally to 125 goals for his country, making him the highest goalscorer in the history of men's football.

Portugal secured a 3-2 win over Slovakia following a thrilling game as they secured qualification to Euro 2024 with 21 points from seven games. This took them eight points clear of Slovakia in second place, confirming their berth for the group stages in Germany next year.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored the second and third goals of the game, with his first being a calmly-slotted penalty in the first half. He doubled his tally midway through the second period following a smart assist by Bruno Fernandes.

The Al-Nassr forward could've easily bagged a hat-trick considering the quality of his other chances but did not manage it in the end.

The Selecao will face Bosnia & Herzegovina in their next game on Monday.