Efforts to Lift a Ban; Permission Granted for Families to Attend Iran-Portugal Match

While criticism continues over restrictions on Iranian women entering stadiums to watch men’s sports competitions, the Iranian government has granted permission for families to attend Azadi Stadium to watch the Iran national team play against Portugal.

Iranian domestic news agencies reported on Sunday, the third of Tir, that the manager of the 100,000-capacity Azadi Stadium issued permission for families to be present in the stadium and watch the Iran national team’s match through a 1,200 square meter screen.

This is the only opportunity for Iranian women to be present in a stadium and watch football, as police have banned women’s presence at football match venues due to pressure from traditionalist clerics and the judicial system.

Iranian women last week, for the first time through a program that was canceled once and then reconfirmed, managed to enter the stadium minutes before the start of the Iran national team’s match against Spain and watch the match on the screen.

This experience had various reverberations, including in the Washington Post. The newspaper reported that despite the government’s permission being issued, police had closed the entrances to the stadium, but one hour before the match, following an order from the Interior Minister, the stadium doors were opened to families, and Iranian women went to a stadium to watch a football match for the first time in 38 years.

In recent days, coinciding with Iran’s national football team matches in the World Cup, various measures have been taken to lift the ban on Iranian women entering stadiums; including 18 prominent Iranian women signing a letter to FIFA, the world football federation, asking it to pressure the Islamic Republic government to lift this ban.

Many women hope that football screening at Azadi Stadium through the screen in the presence of families, and of course FIFA’s pressure and the global reflection of the ban on Iranian women entering stadiums during the Russia World Cup competitions, will be a beginning to lift this ban.

Source: Voice of America