Mehdi Taj, head of the Iranian Football Federation, has renewed the promise of allowing women into stadiums. This time, he says he has approval from the Supreme National Security Council of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Taj assured women’s entry to stadiums in a recent interview with Radio Sport of the Islamic Republic of Iran. He announced the approval by the Supreme National Security Council, with a dedicated task force assigned to oversee its implementation. The Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Sports and Youth, the Football Federation and two intelligence agencies are actively planning the process of facilitating women’s access.
Despite repeated promises, the issue of women’s presence in football stadiums remains unresolved. The obligation imposed by FIFA, football’s world governing body, falls on the authorities of the Islamic Republic, yet Iranian officials have consistently downplayed the matter. Over the past several years, women have been granted limited access to stadiums only on a few occasions during national competitions.
