Cristiano Ronaldo could be sentenced to 99 lashes for adultery in Iran after incident involving female artist: Reports 

Al-Nassr superstar Cristiano Ronaldo could reportedly face 99 lashes for adultery in his next visit to Iran.

Ronaldo visited the country for his club team's AFC Champions League game against Persepolis in Tehran. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner received a warm welcome ahead of the game.

He received gifts from fans, like Persian rugs and paintings of himself. One of those paintings was from a female artist Fatima Hamini, which could land Ronaldo in trouble.

The Persepolis-based artist is 85% paralyzed and needs a wheelchair for mobility. She uses her feet to paint her artwork as she's unable to use her feet. A touched Ronaldo reportedly hugged the painter and kissed her on the cheek to express his gratitude.

However, as reported by Mundo Deportivo (as per The Sun), the action allegedly fell foul of religiously strict laws in the country. That's because touching a woman when in a relationship with another is a form of adultery, according to Iranian laws.

According to Mundo Deportivo, Iranian TV station Sharq Emroz has said that a sentence has been handed down to Ronaldo, who will be subjected to 99 lashes for adultery on his next visit to the country. However, Marca says that the sentence will be quashed if the Portugal star expresses his remorse for thanking the painter.

The Portugal captain has been in a relationship with his current girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez, with whom he has two children and co-parents three others. The family lives in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh, where Ronaldo plays for Al-Nassr.

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What happened in the game between Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr and Persopolis in Iran?

Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr opened their 2023-24 AFC Champions League campaign with a visit to Iranian club Persopolis. The game in the Iranian capital of Tehran ended in a 2-0 win for the Saudi giants, but Ronaldo drew a blank.

The contest in the Azadi Stadium was played behind closed doors. That's because the Asian Football Confederation ordered Persopolis to play one game without fans following Indian club FC Goa's complaint about an offensive social media post made by Persepolis in 2021.

Coming back to the Al-Nassr-Persepolis game, the contest opened up after a goalless first half, with an unmarked Cristiano Ronaldo squandering an opportunity after 20 minutes.

Milad Sarlak of Persepolis saw a second yellow in the 52nd minute for inadvertently stepping on Ronaldo and was sent off. Al-Nassr rode their numerical superiority, with Abdulrahman Ghareeb opening the scoring in the 62nd minute before Mohammed Qassem doubled the visitors' lead 10 minutes later.