Iranian soccer fan dies after self-immolation outside court

A female Iranian soccer fan who set herself on fire last week after being arrested for sneaking into a stadium dressed as a man has died from her injuries, causing widespread outrage.

The semi-official Shafaqna news agency said the woman — dubbed Blue Girl online for her favourite team Esteghlal’s colours — died in a hospital on Monday after her self-immolation outside a court, where she feared being jailed for six months.

Iranian women have been banned from stadiums when men’s teams are playing since just after the 1979 Islamic revolution.

“What happened to Sahar Khodayari is heartbreaking,” said Philip Luther, Amnesty International’s Middle East research and advocacy director.

“Her only ‘crime’ was being a woman in a country where women face discrimination that’s entrenched in law and plays out in the most horrific ways imaginable.”

Iran rejects Western criticism of its human rights record as politically motivated and based on a lack of understanding of its Islamic laws.

Soccer’s governing body FIFA, which has been pressuring Iran over the ban, regretted the “tragedy” of Khodayari’s death.

“FIFA convey our condolences to the family and friends of Sahar and reiterate our calls on the Iranian authorities to ensure the freedom and safety of any women engaged in this legitimate fight to end the stadium ban for women in Iran,” it added in a statement.

Some called for FIFA to take a tougher line.

Italian club Roma spoke in solidarity with Khodayari, who is believed to have been about 30.

“Our heart bleeds blue for Sahar Khodayari. The beautiful game is meant to unite us, not divide us,” it tweeted.