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Updated March 31st, 2022 at 11:29 IST

Will FIFA ban Iran from World Cup for denying entry of women into stadium during playoffs?

On Tuesday, around 2,000 Iranian women with tickets to a World Cup qualifying match between Iran and Lebanon were denied entry to a football stadium.

Reported by: Vishal Tiwari
FIFA, Iran, World Cup qualifiers, Iran vs Lebanon, FIFA World Cup 2022, FIFA to ban Iran, FIFA to suspend Iran, women denied entry to football match
Image: AP | Image:self
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On Tuesday, around 2,000 Iranian women with tickets to a World Cup qualifying match between Iran and Lebanon were denied entry to a football stadium in what is being termed as a disturbing occurrence.

According to reports, the women gathered outside Mashhad's Imam Reza stadium were refused entry despite having purchased tickets for the match. The incident drew widespread condemnation from citizens across the country, prompting President Ebrahim Raisi to launch an investigation.

This isn't the first time in the Islamic Republic that women have been refused entry to a sporting event. The tradition has persisted since the takeover of Iran by hardline clerics following the revolution in 1974. The clerics believe that women should not participate in any gathering that includes men and has a masculine environment. 

Will FIFA take action against Iran as a result of this incident?

FIFA, the world's football governing body, issued a warning to Iran in 2019 for refusing to allow women the access to sporting venues. FIFA had warned Iran that it would be banned from all international tournaments including the World Cups if it did not allow women to enter sporting arenas.

The directive was issued after an Iranian woman named Sahar Khodayari died by suicide following an incident in which she attempted to enter a stadium while disguised as a man to attend a football match of her favourite domestic club. She was caught and was facing a six-month prison sentence. 

Following the unfortunate incident, FIFA sought assurances from Iran that women will be allowed to attend matches during the 2022 World Cup qualifier games, scheduled to be contested in the country. Iran had guaranteed FIFA that women would be permitted to watch the games. On Tuesday, however, the opposite occurred, and women were once again denied access to a match. The Iranian Football Team could face a penalty or outright ban as a result of this incident.

As far as Tuesday's World Cup qualifier is concerned, Iran won 2-0 against Lebanon, moving up to the first position in Group C of the Asian confederation. Iran, Saudi Arabia, Japan and South Korea are the four teams from the Asian confederation that have qualified for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. 

Image: AP

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Published March 31st, 2022 at 11:29 IST

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