One of the prohibitions that was imposed after the February 1979 revolution due to the policies of the Islamic Republic, which aimed to separate men and women from each other, was the ban on women attending men’s sports competitions and vice versa in stadiums and sports arenas. In line with this policy, men are not allowed to watch women’s sports and female fans are also not allowed to watch these games up close and must go to stadiums to watch men’s teams. According to the opinions of many Shia authorities, seeing the bodies of men and women in sports attire can be provocative for both male and female spectators. On the other hand, in their view, the mixing of men and women in sports stands and their joy and excitement can create an inappropriate atmosphere. This is while in many Islamic countries such as Saudi Arabia, women are free to enter stadiums today and only the Islamic Republic and the Taliban impose this prohibition and strictness on women.

Women’s resistance to break this discriminatory law has been going on for decades and they continue to strive for their equal rights in this matter. Football enthusiasts and women’s rights activists have all worked towards this goal; from launching campaigns and requesting FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation to pressure the officials of the Islamic Republic to lift this ban, to showing up at stadium gates as a symbol of protest and resistance for entry. It can even be mentioned that girls have entered stadiums dressed in men’s clothing and makeup. However, these incidents have also had heartbreaking endings and irreparable dangers for women, one of which was the self-immolation of Sahar Khodayari, known as the “Blue Girl” from the fans of Esteghlal team on September 11, 2019, in protest against the court’s decision to punish her for attending the stadium.

Although since October 9, 2019, following pressures from FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation to ban Iran from games and the protests and resistance of women to enter stadiums, Iranian women have gradually been able to officially attend stadiums (such as the match between the Iranian men’s national team and Cambodia during the preliminary round of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, where they were able to enter Azadi Stadium after purchasing online tickets), but women in Iran still cannot buy tickets and attend stadiums like men do.

Finally, in the last season of the Premier Football League (1403-1402), when it was supposed to be legal for women to attend stadiums, this issue was put on hold in Shahrivar month, on the anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini. As a result, the decision to hold football matches with spectators in this month – especially the final weeks – was subject to the orders of the security apparatus of the Islamic Republic and no specific plans were announced before the games about the last weeks of Shahrivar month. After that period, the Iranian Football Federation announced that women could only attend matches at Imam Tabriz, Naghsh-e Jahan Isfahan, Foolad Ahvaz, Azadi Tehran, and Soleymani Sirjan stadiums.

The story of the infrastructure of stadiums.

Officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s football, both in the executive and security sectors, have once again placed the blame on the stadium infrastructure for the demands of women’s presence in stadiums, both domestically and in response to FIFA and the Asian Football Federation’s requests. They declare that the issue of preventing women from entering stadiums is due to the fact that the stadium infrastructure is not prepared to host them. It is clear that Iranian stadiums are not up to international standards to host Iranian and foreign spectators in domestic and international matches. However, how these stadiums should be prepared for the presence of women is unclear and seems more like an ambiguous claim. Should there be complete gender segregation in the stands, with separate entrances and exits for men and women, so that there is no mixing? Or do officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran believe that Iranian men and women do not have the culture of watching football together and must be controlled and monitored by them? But the other fundamental issue is that Shia authorities also have doubts

Mehdi Taj, the head of the Iranian Football Federation, claimed in a television interview at the beginning of the year 1402 that there is no obstacle for women to attend stadiums, except for “hardliners” who do not give us permission and “we will start this issue gradually in the future if there is no obstacle.” (1) But it was clear that these vague and double-sided statements were just excuses, because stadiums with a specific capacity have been witnessing the presence of male spectators for years, so what difference does it make if today the spectators are women or men?

One of the sensitive stadiums that until the end of the Premier League was not used due to internal political issues and excuses for repairs and renovations, or games were held without spectators, and sometimes with a limited and selective number, was Azadi Stadium in Tehran, which finally received permission for spectators to attend the derby game in February 2023. In the 133rd derby game between Esteghlal and Persepolis teams, there was a gender-segregated and restricted attendance, with women entering from the west and east gates of Azadi Stadium. Additionally, due to the announced repairs and renovations, a section of the stadium was inaccessible and the capacity was not fully utilized. In this highly popular and well-received game, a total of 5,000 tickets were allocated to female fans of the two teams, with 2,500 tickets for each side’s fans. This sparked numerous protests among women interested in attending the game.

On September 1402, sports journalist Peyman Younesipour revealed the intentional destruction of Azadi Stadium, just two weeks before the start of the Premier League, in order to prevent spectators from attending the Tehran matches. He wrote: “Why was Azadi Stadium demolished just a few hours before the start of the new season of Iranian football’s Premier League, and the league organization announced that it cannot accommodate spectators in this stadium?” (2) This is while at the beginning of the Federation League, it was announced that games would be held at Azadi Stadium with the presence of women.

But can we not develop the country’s sports infrastructure and tell women to stay at home in order to not respond to the demands of the people and confront the emergence of political and social tensions? While in neighboring countries, the biggest sporting events are held with millions of spectators and tourists in safety and with full facilities, bringing millions of dollars to the economy and promoting all-around development of these countries. And while in European countries, the simplest, most ordinary and most enjoyable activity is buying tickets to support football teams and experiencing joy and excitement during the game, with both men and women citizens standing together.

Universal freedom of stadiums.

It may be possible to consider the presence of women in stadiums – albeit limited – as a positive event, as the Islamic Republic has finally issued permission for women to enter stadiums after more than four decades. However, the quality and conditions currently in place show that they are still not satisfied and have only opened the doors to women under pressure from public opinion and warnings from sports organizations such as FIFA. In normal circumstances, however, the same old heel turns and political and security pressures take over the sport of the country. When a woman entered the field during the Esteghlal and Aluminum Arak game in Farvardin 1403, she was met with severe police intervention and Seyed Hossein Hosseini, the Esteghlal team’s gatekeeper, was punished with a one-game suspension, a 300 million tomans fine, and an apology in the official media when he embraced her in defense. Many extremist factions and their media outlets once again beat the drum of “despair

All restrictions on female sports enthusiasts are actually undesirable behaviors and increased social, political, and ideological pressures that it is unclear when they will disappear. The path of women’s entry into stadiums, from the way they enter the stadium to the position that is designated for women and the number of tickets allocated to women and girls, should become normal and principled.

In fact, the issue of sports development and participation in the country cannot be subject to the desires of extremist and radical groups, as well as security and political institutions, especially when half of it is made up of women. These groups and institutions have the power to close the doors of stadiums to all spectators or only women whenever they want, and they allow a group of women to enter under strict security supervision and control, or use their own supporters and affiliated elements to fill the stands whenever they want to escape from pressure and FIFA sanctions.

The events of the past year in the Premier League regarding the presence of women in stadiums show that we still have significant gaps compared to the standards present in other societies for women, and women should not stop fighting for their rights.

Notes:

1- Women’s return to stadiums in the 23rd league?, Iranian Student News Agency, June 26, 2023.

2- Revealing the hasty destruction of Azadi Stadium for the purpose of deliberate sabotage of Tehran’s sporting events for the spectators!, Sarat, 3 Shahrivar 1402.