Iranian women disguise themselves as men to watch a football match

A group of Iranian women broke all societal barriers by disguising themselves as men to attend a football match where they would otherwise be denied entry.

The female football fans slipping into male attire with beards and wigs, had stepped into Tehran’s Azadi Stadium to cheer for their team Persepolis playing against Sepidrood, last week on Friday.

Iranian women’s rights activist based in New York, Melody Safavi had stated while talking to international media outlets that she is immensely proud of them. “I am very proud of them and impressed that they can be so fearless, because it is a huge risk that they do that,” she stated.

In spite of there being no official ban on women attending sporting events, they are frequently refused entry due to which the number of girls attending matches is a rarity.

There have been various instances of women facing stern punishments for attending matches in Iran. In 2014, British-Iranian activist Ghoncheh Ghavami was arrested after she attempted to enter a men’s volleyball match. 

Another such occurrence had taken place recently this year in March when a total of 35 women were arrested for trying to enter a stadium.