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In January at the home game against Iraq in Tehran, female fans were still allowed into the stadium
Photo: Vahid Salemi / dpa
Women in Iran have once again been denied entry to a World Cup qualifier played by the Iranian national soccer team.
According to the Isna news agency, women were originally allowed to watch Tuesday's 2-0 match between Iran and Lebanon at the Imam Resa Stadium in Mashad.
Although 2000 tickets were made available online, the women stood in front of closed gates with their valid tickets until the end of the game.
There was also criticism from the Iranian internationals, who hoped that access would be allowed again.
Captain Alireza Jahanbakhsh spoke out in favor of giving women the opportunity to see their national team in a post-match interview.
In front of the stadium, security forces are said to have used pepper spray against women who had insisted on being admitted to the stadium.
Corresponding videos are circulating on social networks.
Conservative venue also decisive
The last qualifier for Iran, who have already qualified for the World Cup in Qatar, did not take place in the capital Tehran as usual, but in the religious city of Mashad in north-eastern Iran.
Because of this, it had already been feared that the ultra-conservative leadership in Mashad would not allow women in the audience.
The advance sale of tickets for women was therefore a big surprise for many observers, the ban on the day of the match less so.
In Iran, women have been banned from attending football matches since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The country's arch-conservative clergy believe that women have no place in stadiums with fanatical male fans.
Under pressure from the world association Fifa, a limited number of women have been allowed to go to Tehran's Asadi Stadium since the end of 2019, at least for the World Cup qualifiers.
cev/dpa/rtr