Sports desk/

In Iran, it was forbidden to sit in the gallery and watch women’s football matches except on special occasions. The president of Iran Football Federation (FFIRI) said yesterday that girls will be able to sit in the gallery and watch football matches from next season.

Iran Football Federation president Mehdi Taj said, “One of the highlights of the league this year is…women will be seen in the gallery of the stadium.” He said this during a live broadcast at the draw ceremony for Iran’s top league next season. The league will start next month with 16 teams.

After the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979, football and most other sports banned the presence of women in stadiums. Although there is no written law in this regard.

The clerics play an influential role in various decisions in Iran. They have argued that in a male-dominated society, girls should be kept safe from seeing male athletes participating in sports without covering their entire body. Some Iranian officials argue that the stadiums are not well equipped to watch women’s games.

Last Sunday, Mehdi Taj said, there is a ‘system’ for girls to watch games in the gallery of the stadiums in Isfahan, Kerman and Ahbez cities. However, he did not say anything about the capital Tehran. Last August, girls were allowed to sit in the gallery for the first time in many years at a national championship match in domestic boys’ football in Iran. In that match Mes Kerman faced Tehran club Ishteglal.

However, Iranian girls got the opportunity to sit in the gallery and watch the matches of the national team in 2019. Female soccer fans watch Iran’s World Cup qualifier against Cambodia at Azadi Stadium in Tehran. Iran has been under pressure to allow women to watch games in stadiums since the 2019 death of female soccer fan Sahar Khodairi.

Sahar Khodairi set himself on fire thinking that he might face imprisonment. Because he went to the stadium to watch the football match disguised as a boy. Khodairi was a staunch supporter of Ishteglal. Ishteglal supporters called her ‘blue girl’ in association with the color of the club’s jersey.