Women Excluded from Watching Iran's National Women's Futsal Team Match

The Iranian national women's futsal team faced Uzbekistan under conditions where, in addition to the exclusion of spectators, female journalists were also not allowed to attend the stadium for the first time. The Iranian team, preparing for the Asian Championship, won 7-2 against Uzbekistan, but the Football Federation prohibited both spectators and journalists from being present at the stadium. In a critical report, ISNA news agency stated: 'The media boycott of women's sports continues. While officials emphasize the development of women's sports, the media coverage of women's sports faces policy-making issues. In the past, photographers were not allowed, and now even female journalists are not permitted to cover the news.' The media struggle between supporters and opponents, contradictory statements from officials, and widespread protests on social media for women's presence in volleyball halls eventually subsided without results, leaving only men to observe the World Volleyball League and the Asian Championship. However, this time, women were also not allowed to watch the national women's futsal team's game. Female journalists were not granted permission to cover the match between Iran and Uzbekistan, a topic that was reflected in some media, including ISNA and Fars news agency. The ISNA report noted: 'The Federation and the Ministry of Sports blame each other. Issues related to the coverage of women's sports news have always been problematic, and coordination for covering these competitions is one of the main obstacles for journalists in women's sports.' The players of the Iranian national team include Fereshteh Karimi, Elnaz Armat, Naghmeh Moradi, Farzaneh Tosali, Nasimeh Gholami, Fatemeh Sharif, Mahsa Nazari, Sara Shirbigi, Fahimeh Zarei, Fatemeh Etehadi, Leila Khodabandehlu, Azam Akhundi, Tahereh Mahdipour, Zohreh Mithami, Sahar Papi, Soheila Malmouli, Fatemeh Papi, and Marzieh Tofighinasab. Due to the ban on journalists, Farzan Soleimani, the head coach of Iran, did not hold a press conference after the match. Nevertheless, the Iranian Football Federation's website quoted her as saying: 'We have weaknesses such as ball possession and scoring that need to be addressed to perform well. Uzbekistan appeared combative and strong, but they are technically inferior to us.' Uzbekistan's coach, Makhmudov, also said: 'Iran appeared strong and utilized its experience to win. The players' stress and the late start of the camp were reasons for our defeat in this match.' Both teams are preparing for the Asian Championship, which will be held in Malaysia starting from the last day of Shahrivar (September).