As is not uncommon at soccer matches in Iran, fans rained debris on the field at one point in the match, which was a quarterfinal game of the Asian Champions League between Sepahan of Iran and Al-Ahli of Saudi Arabia. It was being played in Sepahan’s Fuladshahr home stadium in Esfahan.
As the debris rained down, the referee suspended play to clear the field.
A Sepahan player tried to help out by picking up one item and tossing it over the sideline. As it hit the ground, however, it exploded and sent up a plume of smoke.
It wasn’t clear what the explosive was. It was smaller than a grenade but bigger than a cherry bomb. From the volume of smoke, it might have been a smoke bomb. If it had exploded while the Sepahan player was holding it, he might well have lost some fingers or his whole hand.
The game was stopped for several minutes after the explosion, but then resumed. The match ended in a scoreless tie.
It was unknown why anyone would throw an explosive on the field. It was widely assumed it was an expression of anger at Saudi Arabia, but it was an Iranian player who was most threatened by the explosive.
Asian soccer officials have long been concerned about security problems at Iranian stadiums and this latest incident is likely to arouse further concern. The Asian Football Confederation said it was investigating what happened with a view to disciplinary action.