Debate on Iranian women’s access to soccer games flares up again
After 2,000 ticket-holding Iranian women were blocked from attending a soccer game in the city of Mashhad, gender inequality in Iran is back in the spotlight.
The incidents of March 29 in the northeastern city of Mashhad rekindled a dormant debate on the right of Iranian women to attend soccer matches as spectators.
Iran’s national football team, which previously qualified for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, was slated to play Lebanon in its final World Cup qualifier showdown last Tuesday. Nearly 2,000 women purchased tickets to watch the game at the Imam Reza Stadium, but in front of the venue gates, they were abruptly told they couldn’t watch the match.
