Women's Status Unclear as Officials Announce Sports Venues to Reopen

A top sports official in Iran has been quoted by Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting as saying authorities had “created the conditions” for sports venues to reopen in Iran.

“From today, sports venues will be reopened in accordance with health protocols,” Dr. Amin Norouzi, head of the Sports Medicine Federation, told reporters on Sunday. From November 11, he said, spectators who could show a proof of vaccination card would be allowed to watch events.

Dr. Norouzi did not mention whether this would apply to football stadiums hosting Iran Pro League matches. Nor did he say whether, if so, the reopening would also apply to women. The ban on women attending football matches is thought by many to have been the real reason for Tehran’s recent closure of Azadi Stadium on the pretext of Covid-19, at a time when it was under pressure from FIFA to admit female fans to a World Cup qualifier.

Back in September, IRNA news agency had run a story headlined "The end of corona torture: Go to the stadium after 20 months", quoting Dr. Norouzi as well as Alireza Zali, head of the Tehran Coronavirus Taskforce, as having said that Iran’s stadiums would reopen in time for the Pro League. Four weeks in, this has yet to happen.

If the Islamic Republic does reopen stadiums only to men, with women still locked out, there is the possibility that its national team will be suspended by FIFA.

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