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A women’s rights group called Open Stadiums has made an official request to FIFA to pull out Iran from the upcoming 2022 World Cup that is set in Qatar in November. The core reason for the groups’ request was because of the nation’s action toward women.
Iran committing women’s rights violations
According to the letter sent to FIFA President Gianni Infantino on Thursday, the women’s rights group stated that Iranian authorities remained to disallow female supporters to gain access to the matches that will occur in the country, even though FIFA urged the Iranian government to change their stance.
The letter states that what the Iranian football association and the government are doing is a serious crime against humanity. It is a blunt danger to the safety of the female supporters in Iran and wherever their national team participates in the international tournament. They also mentioned that football should be inclusive and stadiums should be a safe space for all of the fans, regardless of their gender.
This is the reason why, as Iranian football enthusiasts themselves, they are deeply sorry that they have to escalate the matter and Iran’s involvement in the impending worldcup22 to the global football governing body.
They also questioned why an international sporting authority would provide the Iranian government led by Iran head of state, Ebrahim Raisi and this cohorts a global platform, while it is not only that they failed to respect fundamental human rights and morals, but they also currently torturing and murdering their compatriots. They also asked if the values of FIFA’s rules are aligned with what is happening in Iran.
Hostilities in demonstrations
Correspondingly, the group urged FIFA to remove Iran from the 2022 World Cup effective immediately, in accordance with Articles 3 and 4 of the FIFA policies. The article states that any member of FIFA that is engaging in violations of human rights be it about race, gender, and religion will be punished by suspension or removal from the international football authority.
The request was made while the rallies continued in several cities inside Iran on Thursday in which a young woman died while she were detained by the police. According to the reports, human rights advocates have confirmed that at least 83 individuals had been murdered in just two weeks of the protests.
According to Raisi, he stated that the turmoil is one of the ongoing series of actions against Iran by powerful Western nations since the 1979 Iranian revolution.
The tragic incident that started it all
The aforementioned woman who was called “Blue Girl” by the media doused herself in a fire to death after she learned that she may be detained for six months after he dressed as a boy to watch the Iranian football team play. The incident has caused the Open Stadiums to urge FIFA to expel Iran from the upcoming competition.
Open Stadiums have been organizing initiatives over the last decade for female fans to be permitted to watch football games in Iran, although only restricted access.
For the past 40 years, Iranian women have not been allowed to enter a sporting stadium to watch a football game. The reason was that religious authorities argued that they must be protected from the masculinity-charged environments and slightly-dressed men playing. Iranian sports journalist Raha Pourbakhs demonstrated this when she visited a stadium.
Conclusion
Iran was one of the Asian nations that qualified for the World Cup. However, the ongoing issue of women’s rights violations by the government of Iran might cost them a spot in the prestigious tournament. FIFA has yet to respond to the call of Open Stadiums to expel Iran but resolutions might come sooner.
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