Female soccer fans in Iran claimed a moral victory on Friday as they were allowed to venture inside the Azadi Stadium in Tehran to attend an eagerly anticipated clash between Persepolis FC and Esteghlal FC.
Open Stadiums, a group that runs a movement of Iranian women seeking the right to have equal access to public spaces took to the social media platform 'X' and posted a picture of three female fans who attended the game.
"101 Derby passed until finally some female fans could attend the most crowded football match in Iran.
Historical day for women’s rights activists and the fight for equal access to public spaces will continue.
#IranianWomen," the feminist group captioned the post on 'X' formerly Twitter.
The group has close to four thousand followers on the platform and has pinned a thought-provoking post. It reads, "October 5th 1981, Iranian women watched Derby for the last time,
After that, they banned from entering to stadium until now."
Notably, the development unfolded after reportedly 3000 women were allowed to attend the high-profile clash and the FIFA President Gianni Infantino took to Instagram to divulge the details of his conversation with the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran that paved way for the same.
"In September, I had the pleasure of meeting the President of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi, in New York City, where we discussed the development of women’s football in the country and the progress made regarding the presence of women in football stadiums. It was, therefore, with great delight that I learned around 3,000 women attended the Tehran derby between Persepolis FC and Esteghlal FC today.
Thanks to the ongoing dialogue between FIFA and the Islamic Republic of Iran Football Federation, progress is being made. I reiterate what I said to President Raisi in September that I will visit Iran in the near future to further discuss football-related matters. The country is a significant force in Asian football, and it is important that we continue to nurture the positive and fruitful working relationship we have built," the FIFA President captioned his post.
