A Kyrgyzstani was stripped of his flag at the entrance to the stadium in Saudi Arabia, where the match "Barcelona" - "Athletic" took place.
The event took place on January 8 in Jeddah, where the first semifinal of the Spanish Super Cup was held between the teams "Barcelona" and "Athletic".
"I came to the match with the flag of Kyrgyzstan draped over me. At the first checkpoint, they started asking me what kind of flag it was and if there were any inscriptions on it. I explained that it was a symbol of my country. After lengthy discussions, the volunteers eventually let us through," Adilet recounts.
According to him, there were three checkpoints on the way to the stands.
"At the second checkpoint, we were stopped again, they were interested in the flag and, in the end, they took it away. They also confiscated all my equipment, including a lapel microphone for my phone. All these items were placed in a special block that could be retrieved upon exiting," the Kyrgyzstani continues.
The Spanish Super Cup has been held in Saudi Arabia for the sixth time.
As Adilet noted, the local organizers established a rule that only flags of the participating teams and the flag of Saudi Arabia could be brought into the stadium.
"The stadium accommodates over 60,000 spectators, and I noticed that there were flags from other countries present, although there weren't many. When I left the stadium, I was able to retrieve my flag and microphone without any issues," Adilet concluded his story.
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