Iran to Ban Women from Entering Football Stadiums

The Iran government is planning to re-impose stadium ban for women in the country, reported Iranian local news outlets on Wednesday.

The reports said that the Iranian Football Association (FA) has ordered the ban to be imposed in the north-western city of Tabriz in the wake of “repulsive incidents” at a home game of local top flight club Tractor-Sazi.

It was not clear whether the stadium ban only applies in Tabriz or for all matches.

It is believed that a female pitch invader at a match last week is a reason for the latest decision by the FA.

A woman ran onto the pitch during the Pro League match between Tehran club Esteghal and Aluminium Arak and embraced Esteghlal. The Iranian national team goalkeeper Hossein Hosseini was fined around $7,500 and suspended for one match after he reportedly briefly held the woman as in Iran it is forbidden to touch women who are not a part of the close family.

Iran’s conservative clergy has always claimed that women should not be allowed in stadiums with male fans.

Under pressure from FIFA, the ban on women in football stadiums was relaxed, with a certain number of women allowed to attend matches.