'Grenade' lobbed during Asian Champions League nearly maims Iranian football player

Tehran, Sept. 21 (ANI): An Asian Champions League footballer came frighteningly close to a serious, if not fatal injury, after an explosive device thrown onto the field in Iran during a game, exploded.

The small black object landed near the corner flag and detonated just a few seconds after it was tossed away by midfielder, Adel Kolahkaj, from Ian's Sepahan Football Club during a match with Al-Ahli of Saudi Arabia.

The explosion rattled Kolahkaj, who narrowly escaped losing a limb, while players and referrers nearby ran away from the smoky scene.

According to the New York Daily News, while nobody was hurt, the damage would have been a lot worse if the object, described by different sources as a firecracker, a mini-grenade and even a bomb, had gone off earlier.

Despite the explosion, the game at Iran's Shahr Stadium was allowed to resume.

According to the report, the person(s) who threw the explosive onto the field have still not been identified. (ANI)