International Media Coverage of Iranian Women’s First Stadium Attendance After Four Decades of Ban
Iranian women, after approximately four decades of being banned from attending stadiums, finally managed to enter Azadi Stadium on Thursday, October 9, in limited numbers thanks to pressure from FIFA and efforts by civil activists, to watch Iran’s national team play against Cambodia.
This event received extensive coverage in international and foreign media:
The Associated Press reported from Tehran that in an event many consider a victory for women in Iran after decades of struggle to participate in sporting events, they wrapped themselves in their country’s red, white, and green flags and excitedly watched the Iran-Cambodia football match as part of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.
Reuters also reported that Iranian women were able to watch their national football team’s match up close for the first time in forty years, and not only celebrated entering Azadi Stadium after a long wait, but also paid tribute to Sahar Khodayari, known as the “Blue Girl,” a football fan who lost her life last month.
France’s news agency reported similarly that after FIFA threatened to suspend Iranian football due to the ban on women entering stadiums, Iranian women, waving their country’s flags and taking selfies, entered Azadi Stadium in western Tehran on Thursday for the first time in several decades freely.
CNN news network, noting that the ban on women entering stadiums in Iran is not a written and ratified law but rather was implemented shortly after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, recalled that following pressure from human rights advocacy groups and the international football federation (FIFA), Iranian authorities finally agreed to allow women entry to stadiums.
The American newspaper New York Times wrote that the limited number who managed to purchase tickets for the Iran-Cambodia match expressed joy that they finally could share their enthusiasm with other fans; however, it remains unclear whether the lifting of the ban on women entering stadiums will continue for domestic matches as well.
The British newspaper The Guardian also reported, noting that only about 3,500 Iranian women managed to purchase tickets and enter Azadi Stadium, but this alone is not enough to encourage the Islamic Republic, and a complete lifting of the ban on women entering all stadiums and taking other important steps to achieve this goal is necessary.
The FIFA president described in a Thursday statement the presence of Iranian women at Azadi Stadium to watch Iran’s men’s national football team play against Cambodia as a step forward and positive, saying this is the moment that FIFA and especially Iranian girls and women were eagerly waiting for, and emphasized that on this path “there should now be no pause or turning back.”
Source: Voice of America
