FIFA president Gianni Infantino expressed his “deepest gratitude” to Iranian authorities for allowing tens of thousands of women and girls to attend Monday’s top-flight soccer match between Sepahan and Persepolis.
Infantino personally spoke with the Islamic Republic’s leadership following calls to exclude Iran from the 2022 World Cup due to the continued exclusion of women from soccer matches in the Islamic Republic. We have adopted related policies.
Home team Sepahan won 2-1 in Monday’s professional league match at Isfahan’s Naqsh-e Jahan Stadium in front of an all-women and girls-only crowd.
The decision came after Sepahan cheerleaders led derogatory chants against Persepolis’ female fans during the clubs’ last match at Tehran’s Azadi Stadium in May.
The Iranian Football Federation fined both clubs and ordered them to play their next two matches in front of only female fans.
In comments posted by FIFA on social media on Thursday, Infantino said around 45,000 women and girls would be allowed to take part in the latest edition of the tournament, one of Iran’s most competitive club competitions. He said he was “very satisfied” with that.
“FIFA has been in constant contact with the Iranian IR authorities in recent years regarding the possibility of women and girls participating in soccer matches,” the Swiss said.
“Following last year’s Tehran derby between Persepolis and Esteghlal, which was attended by 3,000 women and girls, this latest development is a great demonstration of how inclusive and open our game is for everyone to enjoy. I’m doing it.
“I would like to express my sincere gratitude to everyone involved for making this possible… and hope that in the future even more women and girls will have the opportunity to attend regular football matches. I’m looking forward to it.”
Women’s rights group Open Stadium, which led the campaign to exclude Iran from the World Cup, said female fans had turned the stadium into a “symbol of defiance”.
“Women’s access to stadium capacity remains extremely limited,” the association said in a post on social media after the match. “Today, as a punishment for the male fans, the Iranian Football Association allowed only women to enter, and Sepahan Stadium was almost full.
“The path to equal and normal access for Iranians to stadiums remains a matter of great caution.”
Infantino said he would continue the engagement strategy during his upcoming visit to Iran.
Infantino said: “We will further discuss football-related issues, as Iran is an important force in Asian football and it is important that we continue to build on the positive and fruitful cooperation we have built thus far. Therefore, I am planning to visit Iran soon.”
