Iran has finally allowed female soccer fans to pack an Iranian stadium’s stands to cheer on their country in the World Cup after a decade long ban was
Iran has finally allowed female soccer fans to pack an Iranian stadium’s stands to cheer on their country in the World Cup after a decade long ban was briefly lifted. The historic moment at Tehran’s Azadi Stadium on Wednesday marked a break from the country’s de facto ban on women from attending male sporting events following the Islamic revolution of 1979. Though there is no formal law banning women, female sports fans have been turned away from stadiums and sometimes arrested. Others have snuck in posing as men.
In celebration of Iran’s participation in the World Cup, local media had announced Tuesday that women would be allowed in the stadium to watch a live broadcast of the country’s team playing against Spain in Russia. The news didn’t come without a brief hurdle, however, when Iran’s Tasnim news agency reportedly announced just hours before Wednesday’s kickoff that the event was being canceled because of infrastructure problems. Many fans still showed up to the stadium regardless and petitioned to be let in, eventually leading to their entry.
Tayebeh Siavoshi, a female member of Iran’s Parliament, told the Iranian Students’ News Agency that she hopes Iran’s match against Portugal on Monday will also be open to women for viewing. The Equality League, a group that advocates for women’s rights in sports, also applauded Wednesday’s open viewing as “progress,” but noted that women still have yet to watch a soccer game live.
