In a rare ‘victory,’ Iran women watch football match

TEHRAN: Hundreds of Iranian women attended a crunch football match in Tehran, in a rare step seen as a “victory” by local newspapers and hailed by FIFA as an “historic and festive day” for the sport.

About a thousand women were allowed into Azadi Stadium on Saturday to watch Iranian giant Persepolis FC battle it out in the Asian Champions League with Japan’s Kashima Antlers.

The Japanese side triumphed 2-0 on aggregate, after a goalless draw in Tehran, but for the reformist Etemad newspaper the clear winners were Iranian women. “Women were the winners of Azadi (”Freedom” in Farsi) match,” it said in a bold headline on its front page.

A picture on the front page of another reformist daily, Sazandegi, showed women cheering at the stadium with a headline reading: “Iranian women’s victory in Asian finals.” Haft-e Sobh newspaper, which has no marked political affiliation, carried a banner headline on its front page that said: “A thousand real women.”

The Asian Football Confederation and FIFA presidents praised the attendance of women at the match, in a joint statement.

“I thank the authorities in Iran for making it possible for a diverse and socially representative crowd to witness an extraordinary occasion,” said AFC president Salman al-Khalifa.

“Tonight, was historic in so many ways,” he said.