According to "Varzesh3", the direct flight of Esteghlal to the Emirates was accompanied by a strange event, and the members of this team spent nearly an hour in the sky before entering Dubai. Recorded images of the plane's route show that the flight carrying the Blues circled eleven times in an area near Dubai before receiving landing permission.
The Esteghlal party had left Tehran at 17:00 bound for the Emirates and expected to enter Dubai Airport without a stop, but after reaching this country's airspace, landing permission was not issued and the plane entered a holding pattern.
The prolongation of this situation created concerns among the passengers, and even the possibility of the plane returning to Tehran was raised for a few minutes. Initial investigations show that part of the administrative formalities and coordination for this flight had not been fully completed before entering the Emirates, and this very matter delayed the issuance of the final permission.
During this delay, some officials outside Esteghlal Club contacted Mohammad Reza Zonuzi, and the owner of Tractor Club took action to solve the problem. The follow-ups made after this contact helped complete the administrative process, and finally the landing permission for Esteghlal's plane was issued.
Zonuzi's cooperation with Esteghlal was notable in that in recent days the issue of direct flights of Iran's two representatives in Asia had become a controversial topic and remarks had been exchanged between the managers of the two clubs. Nevertheless, at the moment Esteghlal's flight faced a problem, the Blues managers' contact with the Tractor owner helped resolve the affair.
The plane, after eleven laps of flying in the skies of the Emirates, finally landed at Dubai Airport, and the members of Esteghlal headed to their place of accommodation. The Blues will hold their last training session tomorrow and will face Shabab Al Ahli on Tuesday at Rashid Stadium.
Source: Varzesh3
