Iran orders probe after women barred from football game
TEHRAN, Iran – Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has ordered an investigation into a recent incident during a football match between Iran and Lebanon where women were barred from entering the stadium and pepper-sprayed.
Speaking at a cabinet meeting in Tehran, Raisi ordered his interior minister to “thoroughly investigate” the matter and take “necessary measures”, his office said.
The incident that took place outside a football stadium in the northeastern city of Mashhad when Iran was taking on Lebanon in the World Cup 2022 qualifier has led to a widespread outcry across the country.
According to reports and eyewitnesses, women were prevented from entering the stadium despite possessing tickets and were greeted with pepper spray when they protested against the decision.
A total of 12,500 tickets had been sold online for the match, with 2,000 seats reserved exclusively for women.
Following the match videos circulating on social media showed female football fans angrily protesting outside the stadium.
It sparked massive anger and outrage across the country, prompting top officials to take notice.
Government spokesman, Ali Bahadori Jahromi, said in a statement that government officials, including President Raisi, had “protested” against the incident.
In a separate statement, Iran’s Parliament Speaker, Baqar Qalibaf, called it an “irrational and disrespectful” behavior toward women, blaming it on “managerial shortcomings and hasty decisions.”
The country’s attorney general, Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, also took note of the incident and said it was “unacceptable” to sell the tickets and then prevent women from entering the stadium.
The issue of women’s presence in sports stadiums in Iran has been widely debated both inside and outside the country, with the issue even reaching the parliament.
In January, around 2,000 women were allowed to enter the Azadi Stadium in Tehran to watch Iran’s match against Iraq, when Iran became the first Asian side to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
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