In the Iranian film Offside, a group of women disguise themselves as men and sneak into a stadium to watch Iran’s 2006 World Cup qualifiers, in defiance of the men-only rules. Shot during a real game in a real stadium and with two improvised climaxes, the film was intended as a comedy. While the film delivered laughs, it also captured the plight of female soccer fans in the Middle East.
The film, which received worldwide acclaim, was released in 2006, but it took another 17 years before women could enter stadiums in Iran without passing themselves off as boys. In December 2023, 3,000 women flocked to the stands of the aptly titled Azadi Stadium to watch the Tehran derby between Persepolis and Esteghlal.
Across the Persian Gulf, Saudi Arabia opened the gates of three women-only stadiums for the first time in 2018. Saudi Arabia has loosened harsh laws on women’s freedoms as part of a global image transformation. A year later, the government relaxed the guardianship system, which gives men legal responsibility for women’s choices. Some rules still exist, but at least women don’t have to seek their husband’s approval to attend a football game.
A women’s league was launched in 2020. Two years later, the Saudi women’s players played their first international match in a friendly against Mauritius. Notably, players were not required to wear hijabs. It was Saudi officials who lobbied FIFA to ban the hijab in soccer. Six years on, the Saudi league is filled with famous soccer players from Europe, Africa and Latin America who, while not bouncing in the aisles, shrieking and whistling like they do in Europe and America, play in the stands. It is no longer unusual to see women. Even a single woman can drive a car and enter a restaurant. Until a few years ago, there were two doors to enter the restaurant. One for the family. One is for men. You can now file for divorce.
But the question remains: how friendly will Saudi Arabia be toward women during the 2034 World Cup? Last year’s World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report ranked the country 126th out of 146 countries. In 2022, it occupied 136th place. More than a dozen women’s rights activists are serving time in prison. For decades, religious police roamed the streets looking for unmarried couples and yelling at women to cover up.
Saudi Arabia proposes 15 stadiums for 2034 FIFA World Cup (Reuters)
Image reform efforts took a turn for the worse after partners of Real Mallorca players claimed they had been “harassed” during last week’s Supercopa de Espana semi-final against Real Madrid.
Dani Rodriguez’s partner Cristina Palabra told Esports IB3: The truth is that people from this country (Saudi Arabia) started taking pictures of us up close and harassing us. We felt confused because no one was protecting us. ”
“A group of people came towards us, filmed us, pushed us away, insulted us in Arabic,” Natalia Karzova, Dominic Greif’s partner, told Marca newspaper. “They recorded us without our consent and attacked us.”
Some female fans on the trip complained of a lack of proper women’s restrooms and of inappropriate touching. The Spanish Football Federation of Shareholders and Members issued a statement condemning the fans’ actions. “We have spent years relocating the Supercopa to countries where fundamental rights are not respected, which poses risks for male fans and, above all, for female fans who travel there. Become.”
A fresh start
The incident comes at a time when Saudi Arabia is doing everything it can to improve its image in the Western world. But the country could also draw inspiration from Qatar. Qatar has not yet criminalized domestic violence or sexual assault, and it ranks worse than Saudi Arabia (130th) in the Global Gender Gap Report. Similar fears swirled ahead of the 2022 World Cup, but this edition turned out to be one of the safest for women. With thousands of military veterans imported from Pakistan and a heavy police and military presence, the women felt little danger, even in the middle of the night. Women and children flocked to tourist spots such as Souq Waqif and fan zones spread across the city. There was little evidence of sexual harassment or inappropriate behavior inside the stadium.
The ban on alcohol in stadiums has been cited as one of the reasons for the low incidence of all types of violence. Saudi Arabia has stricter alcohol laws and there is only one outlet in the entire country where you can buy alcohol. It is also unlikely that the government will relax this rule after nine years. Although gender disparities remain, the World Population Review says Saudi Arabia is less dangerous for female travelers than Russia (2018 host), Brazil (2014), Mexico (2026 co-host) and India. Crimes against women are the lowest of any country in South Asia. Saudi Arabia has won an uncontested bid to lead the UN agency specializing in women’s rights for the 2025 session.
But between 2025 and 2034, the country could do what it can to educate its citizens about behavior inside stadiums during the World Cup. Perhaps we could start with a league to raise money so that women don’t have to disguise themselves as boys and go to stadiums. The complaints of Spanish fans during the Supercopa de España should be condemned. Although many things have changed, there are still many things that remain the same.
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