On Thursday, Human Rights Watch called on the International Football Association (FIFA) to impose sanctions on Iran, against the backdrop of preventing women from entering football stadiums in the country.
The organization said in a statement that “the Iranian authorities prevented dozens of Iranian women from entering the Imam Reza football stadium in the city of Mashhad on March 29, possibly using excessive force.”
The organization called on “FIFA to use its influence with the Iranian authorities to demand the immediate lifting of the ban on entry to stadiums for women in Iran and to ensure accountability for violations.”
The organization stated in its statement that “the authorities prevented women, including those who bought tickets, from entering the sports stadium in Mashhad in Khorasan Governorate to watch a qualifier for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 between Iran and Lebanon.”
She indicated that videos circulated on social media show women gathering in front of the stadium claiming that the authorities used pepper spray to disperse them.
“The Iranian authorities have repeatedly proven that they are willing to go to great lengths to enforce their discriminatory and harsh ban on women entering football stadiums,” said Tara Sepehri-Far, the organization’s senior researcher on Iran.
It called on FIFA to follow its own global guidelines on non-discrimination and to consider imposing sanctions for Iran’s non-compliance. “Under FIFA’s statute, gender discrimination, which may include exclusion or interference with women and girls’ access to stadiums, is prohibited,” the statement said. And it is punishable by suspension of membership or expulsion.”
Iran was the first Asian team (with the exception of the host Qatar) to qualify for the 2022 World Cup, and Iran and the rest of the qualified teams are waiting to know their opponents in the World Cup in the draw that takes place on Friday in Doha.
The Iranian news agency “ISNA” reported earlier that “about 2,000 Iranian women who bought tickets for the Iran-Lebanon match, were in the vicinity of the Imam Reza Stadium, but were unable to enter the stadium.”
Iranian women were allowed to attend a national team soccer match for the first time in nearly three years last January in a World Cup qualifier match between Iran and Iraq.
In general, the Iranian authorities prevented women from attending sports competitions from inside the facilities for nearly 40 years. The clergy, who play a major role in decision-making, consider that women should be protected from the masculine atmosphere and seen by men in shorts.