FIFA urged to give Iran deadline for allowing women into stadiums

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Football's world governing body FIFA has been urged by its own human rights advisory panel to give Iran a deadline for allowing women to watch matches.

In a report published Monday, the panel said that Iran's ban on women fans violated FIFA's own ethics code which "specifically prohibits discrimination including on the basis of gender".

Iranian women and girls have not been allowed to attend any men's sporting events in the country for much of the 39 years since the Islamic revolution, and have not been granted access to matches involving top clubs since 1981.

FIFA's panel, made up of eight independent experts from the United Nations, trade unions and FIFA sponsors, also noted that women were able to attend screenings at the same venue of two of Iran's matches during the 2018 World Cup.

Iranian women with the national flag painted on their faces while watching a screening of the football match between Iran and Portugal during the 2018 World Cup, Tehran, Iran, June 25, 2018. /VCG Photo

It described this as a "positive" development but added that "these ad hoc decisions are obviously not the same as a formal end to the ban".

The panel said "FIFA should be explicit about the timeframe in which it expects (Iran) to align with FIFA's human rights expectations".

It said FIFA should also be clear about possible sanctions should Iran not fall into line.

FIFA statutes say that discrimination can be punishable by "suspension or expulsion" although its disciplinary code allows for lighter sanctions such as fines and partial stadium closures.

Source(s): Reuters