Women can watch football matches in Iran

Iran Football Federation President Mahdi Taj has announced that women will now be able to watch matches in the men’s soccer league, with some rare exceptions.

“One of the main features of this season is that women will be able to enter the stadiums,” Mehdi Taj said at the ceremony held on the occasion of the draw for the Iranian league.

The 16-team men’s league will begin in August.

The Islamic Republic of Iran has banned women from attending men’s soccer matches for more than four decades.

Clerics, who play an important role in Iran’s decision-making mechanisms, argue that women should avoid being in a masculine environment and seeing men in sportswear and shorts.

Mehdi Taj said that some stadiums in the cities of Isfahan, Kerman and Ahvaz were “ready” to receive female spectators during matches, but did not name any stadiums in Tehran.

In August 2022, women were exceptionally allowed to watch a football championship match in Tehran.

AFTER YEARS, THE PERMISSION WAS GIVEN IN 2022

In October 2019, up to 4,000 Iranian women were able to watch the 2022 World Cup qualifying matches against Cambodia at Tehran’s Azadi Stadium for the first time since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

The International Football Federation (FIFA) has recently called on Iran to allow unrestricted access to women’s stadiums following the death of a fan.

A woman named Seher Hodayari set herself on fire in front of a court because she was afraid of going to jail for wanting to go to the match. Seher had tried to enter the stadium by posing as a man.

The woman’s death sparked a huge reaction, with many calling for Iran to be banned from participating in international matches and to boycott the matches. (News: DepoPhotos)