FIFA boss: Iran may lift ban
FIFA president Gianni Infantino raised hopes that Iran will lift a ban on women entering soccer stadiums before a World Cup qualifying game next month.
Attention on the ban intensified when a 29-year-old activist, Sahar Khodayari, died this month after setting herself on fire outside a courthouse. She had been detained for dressing as a man to enter a soccer stadium and believed she faced six months in prison.
Infantino said in a statement Thursday “now is the moment to change things and FIFA is expecting positive developments.”
Iran, the top-ranked team in Asia, hosts Cambodia at Azadi Stadium in Tehran on Oct. 10.
Infantino has been urging Iran's government to lift the 40-year ban imposed after the Islamic Revolution.
FIFA's statutes prohibit discrimination by member federations, and could allow for Iran to be suspended.
Iran relaxed its rule in November when hundreds of women were selected to attend the Asian Champions League final in Tehran.
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— News services