Iranian women attend football match for the first time in four decades

With Iranian flags, caps in national colors, and vuvuzelas, women started cheering two hours before the match started in a deafening atmosphere, which ended with Iran's overwhelming victory of 14-0.

By being present at Azadi, a place they had been banned from for four decades, they made history, although their access was not without controversy, as only 3,500 tickets were sold for women.

"I am very happy because it was my dream to be able to come to Azadi Stadium," said excited fan Sharvanaz Salehi, who covered her shoulders with the Iranian flag.

For Salehi, 25, it was "a historic moment" and "a good start" in opening stadiums to women, although she acknowledged that she hopes there will be fewer limitations and more tickets sold in the near future.

Women occupied five sections of the stands, separated from men, in a stadium with a capacity of 78,000 people that was practically empty.

With the first goal scored by Persépolis player Ahmad Nourollahi in the 5th minute, the women's section went wild with support for the Iranian team, the so-called Team Melli.

A giant Iranian flag traversed the stands from top to bottom several times, and the fans jumped and shouted with each goal scored by their team, highlighting the three goals each from forwards Sardar Azmoun and Karim Ansarifard.

The number of attending women was limited, and tickets sold out within hours when they went on sale last week, but they still marked a milestone.

Since the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979, women had only been allowed into the stadium to watch men's football matches on a couple of occasions and by invitation: the match between the Iranian club Persépolis and the Japanese Kashima Antlers last November, and the friendly match between Iran and Bolivia in October 2018.

On this occasion, there were also restrictions, especially for journalists. For example, no accreditations were issued for television cameras or female photographers to avoid their presence alongside men on the field.

Journalists were confined to a kind of VIP area without access to the fans, despite efforts to obtain more facilities, according to one of the FIFA representatives who spoke to Efe.

"Step by step" was the most heard phrase among FIFA and Iranian Football Federation representatives.

Despite the limitations, it was also a unique moment for Iranian journalists, as after years of covering football matches on television, they could attend one in person for the first time.

One of them, Mariam Sarjosh, who has been working for Persepolis Piruzi club newspaper for 13 years, told Efe that it was "very exciting" for her to have the right to watch a match up close for the first time after so many years.

"It is a good step that the taboo of women's presence in stadiums has been broken," said Sarjosh, expressing her hope for further expansion in the future.

This 37-year-old journalist does not believe that women will be allowed to enter Iranian club matches for the time being, but she remains optimistic: "The important thing is that the opening begins."

Iranian authorities have not allowed women to attend football stadiums so far, claiming that the atmosphere is not suitable for them due to the sometimes violent and disrespectful behavior of the fans.

This prohibition has led many female fans to try to enter the stadiums disguised as men despite the risk of being detained.

A very serious case this year was that of Esteghlal fan Sahar Jodayari, who died after setting herself on fire upon learning that she could be sentenced to six months in prison for this offense.

FIFA's insistence has finally paid off. Its President, Gianni Infantino, stated that their strategy is to "pressure with respect, but firmly."

Organizations like Human Rights Watch (HRW) consider the quota of female spectators "discriminatory, deceptive, and dangerous," a criticism that also spread through a campaign on Twitter under the hashtag #ComeWithMeToTheStadium.

Despite everything, the fans who attended the stadium on Thursday enjoyed every minute of the match intensely and, along with their national team, celebrated a resounding victory.