Noroozi's Reign: Four Women Among a Huge Crowd of Men

The ceremony for selecting the best of Iranian football was held, honoring male players, coaches, referees, clubs, and officials in 18 categories, while awards were also given to outstanding women in four categories. Soltanat Noroozi earned the title of the best female referee in Iranian football. She expressed her dissatisfaction that her speech was not broadcasted during the ceremony. Noroozi stated she had known beforehand that she would be chosen as the best referee and had informed her family to watch the program, but events during the ceremony upset them. She told 'Varzesh-e Se': 'We should be officiating in international competitions, but we spent two days coming to Tehran for the ceremony's clip to be recorded. However, my speech was not broadcast on television; it was only shown inside the hall!' This was not the only issue regarding women's presence at the ceremony. Only four women were invited to be honored: one referee, one assistant referee, along with the best player and top scorer. In other categories, only male winners were recognized. Noroozi remarked: 'There was a huge crowd in the hall, and among them, there were only four women. Unfortunately, attention to women is always less. We were four among a massive crowd of men.' She noted that when it was time to introduce the women, they were not allowed to speak or stay on the stage for more than a few seconds. At the end of the ceremony, when the winners were to take commemorative photos, the crowd was so dense that they couldn't even get on stage for a picture. These issues are disheartening. The international referee of Iranian football recalled that the events at the ceremony caused her daughter to cry, similar to what happened last year at the Azadi Stadium ceremony. The selection of the best female footballer in Iran was the first part of the ceremony. Shabnam Behesht, a player from the Shahre Kord Municipality team, was chosen as the best female footballer of the past year. Following her, Sara Ghomi from the Malavan Bandar Anzali club came on stage to receive the award for the top scorer in the women's Premier League. Ghomi claimed the title of 'top scorer' with 24 goals last season. Ansieh Mafi Nejad was selected as the best assistant referee, and Soltanat Noroozi as the best referee in women's football. Noroozi mentioned that since she was in the hall, she didn't know her words were not broadcasted, but realized it when her husband asked why her speech was not aired. The best female referee in Iran expressed hope that with Mehdi Taj at the helm of the Iranian Football Federation, issues would be resolved, allowing women to participate more comfortably.