Global Response to Ban on Iranian Women Entering Stadiums and FIFA’s Authorization of Protests

Coinciding with the resonance of protests by Iranian spectators present at the World Cup against the ban on women’s entry into stadiums in Iran, FIFA announced that it has authorized these protests.

The action of some spectators during the Iran-Morocco match in protest of the ban on women’s entry into stadiums in Iran resonated in foreign media outlets, including the Washington Post newspaper.

In its Sunday, June 17 edition, the newspaper reported under the headline “Let Us Be Free” that Iranian women brought their protest against the ban on their presence in stadiums—a ban implemented by the Islamic Republic for the past 37 years—to the Saint Petersburg Stadium in Russia, which hosts the world’s largest sporting events, including competitions of Iran’s national football team in World Cup matches.

The Washington Post cited statements from one of the protesters named Sara from a group called “Free Stadiums,” who said that the Iranian government cannot bear to see happy and joyful women in stadiums.

The Washington Post also cited statements from an Iranian woman human rights activist named Maryam, who, referring to the lifting of the ban on women’s presence in stadiums in Saudi Arabia, described the existence of such a ban for Iranian women as insulting.

On the other hand, following reactions to this method of protest in the stadium where the Iran-Morocco match was held as part of the World Cup, FIFA, the international football federation, announced that it has authorized this protest action.

During that match, banners with the slogan #NoBan4Women and “Support Iranian women to enter stadiums” were placed on both sides of the stadium.

The Associated Press reported that FIFA announced that since these writings are not political and their purpose is “to express a social demand,” there is no prohibition against them.

The Islamic Republic government prevents women from entering stadiums where men’s competitions are held. Some efforts to remove this restriction have also faced strong opposition from traditional clerics and sources of emulation and have not been successful.

Source: Voice of America