Tehran (AFP)
A FIFA delegation traveled to Tehran on Friday to discuss the presence of women in stadiums at football matches, after the suicide of a football fan who stirred up turmoil in Iran.
"The Fifa delegation first went to the Ministry of Sports and discussed with its officials and the (Iranian) Football Federation on the issue of the presence of women in the Azadi Stadium" in Tehran. said the Iranian news agency Irna.
Iranian officials assured the delegation that changes had been made to allow women to be "officially" allowed to attend the Iran-Cambodia 20-2 qualifier match on Oct. 10.
"The delegation then went to the stadium (...) and inspected the doors and stands set up for women," said Irna.
In Iran, women have been banned from stadiums since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, with religious leaders arguing that they should be protected from the "male atmosphere".
A football fan, Sahar Khodayari, in her thirties, died in early September after burning herself in front of a court entrance in Tehran.
She was arrested in 2018 while attempting to enter a stadium disguised as a man to attend a game of her favorite team, Esteghlal FC of Tehran. She was later released on an unspecified date.
The death of Sahar Khodayari sparked turmoil on social media, where calls were made to FIFA to ban Iran from international competitions and fans to boycott matches.
Fifa then increased its pressure on Iran to allow women to attend qualifying matches for the 2022 World Cup, and gave him until August 31 to do so, on pain of consequences.
© 2019 AFP