According to the Isna news agency, women were originally allowed to watch the match between Iran and Lebanon (2-0) at the Imam Resa Stadium in Mashad. Although 2,000 tickets were made available online, the women stood in front of closed gates with their valid tickets until the end of the game. There was also criticism from the Iranian internationals, who hoped that access would be allowed again.
Denied entry no big surprise
The last qualifier for Iran, who have already qualified for the World Cup in Qatar, did not take place in the capital Tehran as usual, but in the religious city of Mashad in north-eastern Iran. Because of this, it had already been feared that the ultra-conservative leadership in Mashad would not allow women in the audience. The advance sale of tickets for women was therefore a big surprise for many observers, the ban on the day of the match less so.
In Islamic Iran, women have been banned from attending football matches for more than four decades. The country’s arch-conservative clergy believe that women have no place in stadiums with fanatical male fans. Under pressure from the world governing body FIFA, a limited number of women have been allowed to attend the Asadi Stadium in Tehran, at least for the World Cup qualifiers.
Source: dpa