Prominent Iranian Women Request FIFA to Lift Stadium Entry Ban

Continuing the efforts of women's rights activists to lift the ban on Iranian women entering sports stadiums, 18 prominent Iranian women wrote a letter to FIFA on Friday, July 1st, with this aim. The authors of the letter, the full text of which was published by the 'Iran Human Rights Campaign' website, have asked FIFA to 'request the Islamic Republic to completely end the ban on women's presence in stadiums.' The letter also describes the exclusion of women from stadiums in Iran as 'a violation of one of the fundamental principles' of the International Football Federation, which emphasizes non-discrimination and the fight against it. This letter, signed by well-known women from various fields including cinema, literature, politics, and law, reminds FIFA that 'Article 4 of FIFA's statutes states that discrimination of any kind is strictly prohibited and punishable by expulsion and suspension.' Among the signatories are Shohreh Aghdashloo, actress; Shirin Ebadi, Nobel Peace Prize laureate; Googoosh, singer; Mehrangiz Kar, lawyer; Shirin Neshat, artist; and Shappi Khorsandi, comedian. Since the 1979 revolution, women have been banned from attending matches in Iran, and FIFA has consistently been in contact with Iranian authorities to lift this restriction. The ban on women's presence in stadiums has even led several Asian and global federations, including volleyball, to warn Iran that it could face sanctions if women are excluded from stadiums. In contrast, Iranian women, especially women's rights activists, have continuously worked to lift existing restrictions and pave the way for women's access to stadiums. These efforts intensified with the start of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, during which women activists achieved some victories. For instance, last week, following the opening of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, FIFA announced that the banners held by spectators during the Iran vs. Morocco match to support Iranian women's rights had received prior approval from FIFA. FIFA argued that since these writings are not political and their purpose is 'to express a social demand,' there is no prohibition against them. On the other hand, last Wednesday, coinciding with the Iranian national team's game against Spain, after much struggle, the gates of Azadi Stadium in Tehran were finally opened to Iranian families after 40 years. Now, in continuation of these efforts, prominent Iranian women in their official letter are calling for serious action from FIFA and have asked the organization to 'stand by its principles.' They state: 'FIFA's policies and previous statements and declarations seem hollow, given that Iran has refrained from ending the ban on women's entry to stadiums without facing any consequences.' The authors of the letter further emphasize a 'mentality' that violates women's rights in Iran: 'The mentality that prevents women from attending stadiums is the same mentality that prohibits women from traveling alone and the same mentality that hinders their equal rights in court.' Nazanin Boniadi, Shahrnush Parsipur, Homa Sarshar, and Sheila Vand are among the other signatories of this letter. Source: Iran Human Rights Campaign website, Radio Farda.