In a letter to President Gianni Infantino, the Iranian women’s rights movement Open Stadiums called on FIFA to exclude Iran from the 2022 World Cup because of violence against women.
“Why should FIFA give the Iranian state and its representatives a global stage?”, asks Open Stadiums in the letter addressed to Infantino personally, which was available to the sports show in advance. The organization Open Stadiums campaigns against discrimination against women and has been demanding free and unhindered access for women to football stadiums in Iran for years.
“This state not only refuses to respect fundamental rights and human dignity. It tortures and kills its own people.”the letter said, referring to the current violence against the regime-critical protests in Iran. “Where are the principles of the FIFA Statutes in this regard? We call on FIFA to immediately ban Iran from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.” Iran have been drawn for the World Cup finals in Group B alongside the USA, England and Wales.
FIFA does not respond to requests
FIFA has not yet responded to a query from the sports show on Thursday about its position on Iran. A decision by the FIFA Council Committee, which includes FIFA President Infantino and the six presidents of the continental confederations, would initially be responsible for a short-term exclusion. Among them are UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin from Slovenia and Asian Confederation President Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Chalifa from Bahrain.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino
Open Stadiums relies on demand for World Cup ban to Articles 3 and 4 of the FIFA Statutes. Article 3 stipulates that FIFA has an obligation to respect all internationally recognized human rights and to promote the protection of these rights. Article 4 puts discrimination under severe penalties – such as the exclusion of the respective association. In addition, Article 4 allows FIFA to abandon its mandated political neutrality if “Statutory goals of FIFA are affected”.
Protests after the death of a young woman
In Iran there are currently protests against discrimination against women and against the regime in Tehran, the police are using violence against them. At least 76 people are said to have been killed by the police since the protests began, according to the human rights organization Iran Human Rights (IHR). The trigger was the death of Mahsa Amini.
The 22-year-old died under mysterious circumstances after being arrested by the so-called “moral police” in Tehran on September 14 because she was not wearing her hijab headgear according to the specifications. She was taken to hospital in a coma that same day and died on September 16. The protesters accuse the police of killing the woman, but the authorities deny it.
Violence at protests brings back ‘terrifying memories’ for women
“Both the uprising in Iran following the assassination of Mahsa Amini and the regime’s brutal crackdown on the protesting Iranian people are unfortunately very familiar to us and bring back many horrible memories for female football fans in Iran.”, writes Open Stadiums. Open Stadiums has been campaigning for years to allow women to attend football matches in the stadium, which has long been banned.
Addressed to Infantino personally, the letter states: “You have repeatedly publicly promised that FIFA will investigate this gross violation of human rights, but unfortunately we have come to the conclusion that these were all empty words and promises. Nothing has changed.”
women in the stadium “A PR stunt for a limited time before the World Cup”
In 2019, Infantino publicly called on Iran to allow women into the stadiums of games hosted by FIFA, such as World Cup qualifiers. Since then, this has also been possible, Infantino expressed the expectation: “Now there is no stopping and no turning back.” But: In March 2022, women who wanted to see an Iran game against Lebanon in the city of Mashad were prevented from doing so with pepper spray.
Open Stadiums therefore writes: “Many believe that the Azadi Stadium (the largest stadium in Tehran, ed.) was only opened for a limited time as a PR stunt to boost the country’s image ahead of the World Cup.” The association is controlled by the regime, there is no trust in the authorities or in the association.
If there were no consequences against the association, one would be afraid that “The Islamic Republic will take revenge on women’s rights activists and women football fans in general”. Tougher measures than closed stadiums for women are to be feared, says Open Stadiums and concludes with the words: “We expect an immediate response to our letter.”