Hundreds of Iranian women attended a crunch football match in Tehran, in a rare step seen Sunday as a “victory” by local newspapers and hailed by FIFA as an “historic and festive day” for the sport.
About a thousand women were allowed into Azadi Stadium late Saturday to watch Iranian giant Persepolis FC battle it out in the Asian Champions League with Japan’s Kashima Antlers, an AFP reporter said.
The Japanese side triumphed 2-0 on aggregate, after a goalless draw in Tehran, but for the reformist Etemad newspaper the clear winners were Iranian women.
“Women were the winners of Azadi (“Freedom” in Farsi) match,” it said in a bold headline on its front page.
A picture on the front page of another reformist daily, Sazandegi, showed women cheering at the stadium with a headline reading: “Iranian women’s victory in Asian finals.”
Haft-e Sobh newspaper, which has no marked political affiliation, carried a banner headline on its front page that said: “A thousand real women.”
The Asian Football Confederation and FIFA presidents praised the attendance of women at the match, in a joint statement.
“I thank the authorities in Iran for making it possible for a diverse and socially representative crowd to witness an extraordinary occasion,” said AFC president Salman al-Khalifa.
“Tonight, was historic in so many ways,” he said.
Gianni Infantino, head of world football’s governing body FIFA who attended the match, said he was “delighted to personally” see Iranian female football fans inside the 100,000-capacity stadium.
“Today is a historic and festive day for football, a real breakthrough,” Infantino said.
Women were barred from attending matches after the 1979 Islamic revolution, with clerics arguing they must be protected from the masculine atmosphere and sight of semi-clad men.
They have also worried about the crush of men and women when leaving stadiums.
The ban on women in stadiums has been frequently criticised from across the political spectrum.
On Sunday, state-run IRNA reported that authorities had allowed a select group of 850 women fans to attend the Persepolis-Kashima Antlers match.
