Iranian women allowed to attend local football match, 1st time since 1979
TEHRAN (AA) – Women were allowed for the first time on Thursday to watch a league match between two prominent football clubs at Azadi Stadium in Tehran.
Around 500 female fans made their way to the iconic football stadium in western Tehran to watch Esteghlal go against Mes Kerman in the Persian Gulf Pro League.
Women had been barred from entering sports stadiums in the Islamic Republic since the 1979 revolution. The issue put the country’s football federation and FIFA on a collision course, with the world football governing body demanding a lift of the ban.
It has also been a widely debated matter in Iran.
Last October, Iran’s football federation requested that parliament adopt a law overturning the ban.
In January, 2,000 women were allowed inside Azadi Stadium to watch Iran play Iraq, where the home team qualified for the 2022 World Cup.
In March, controversy erupted after women were barred from entering a stadium in Mashhad and they were pepper-sprayed during Iran’s World Cup qualifier against Lebanon.
It sparked protests across the country, prompting the government to order an investigation.
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