Iranian federation demands admission of women in the stadiums
The Iranian Football Association has asked the government to decide on the admission of women to football stadiums.
The Iranian parliament should soon decide on the possible admission of women to football stadiums. The Iranian Football Association (FFI) has submitted a corresponding draft, said FFI General Secretary Hassan Kamranifar, according to the news agency Tasnim: “Once this is approved, the presence of women will be allowed.”
Women have been banned from stadiums for over 40 years, officially to protect them from the sight of half-naked men and a vulgar environment. The Iranian parliament is largely dominated by the ultra-conservatives, and the clergy have so far spoken out against the presence of women in stadiums.
The world association FIFA had indirectly threatened the Iranian rulers with an exclusion from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar due to the stadium ban on women. At least around 4,000 women were admitted to the men’s national team’s World Cup qualifier in October 2019 in Tehran against Cambodia.
