Sepp Blatter, the head of FIFA, has called on Iran to allow women into stadiums to watch football matches.
AFP reports that the FIFA chief discussed his request in a meeting with Massoumeh Ebtekar, the head of Iran’s Department of the Environment, and Ali Larijani, Speaker of the Parliament, during his latest trip to Iran.
Blatter has stressed that while he does not wish to interfere in the country’s internal affairs, as the head of the football federation, he cannot be pleased with a ban that affects half of the population and he feels compelled to call for the ban to be lifted.
Iranian women have not been allowed to enter football stadiums to watch football matches since the 1979 Revolution and the establishment of the Islamic Republic.
Women’s rights activists in Iran have consistently advocated for the lifting of the ban on women in stadiums.
Blatter also says the federation is using its influence to return the assets of the Iranian Football Federation, which were blocked due to the international sanctions against Iran.
