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The Financial Express

Iran detains 35 women for attending football match

| Updated: March 02, 2018 13:28:05


Iranian young woman fans watch their team winning during their 2014 World Cup Asian zone qualifying football match between Qatar and Iran at the Al-Sadd stadium in Doha on, Tuesday on June, 4, 2013. - AP file photo used only for representation. Iranian young woman fans watch their team winning during their 2014 World Cup Asian zone qualifying football match between Qatar and Iran at the Al-Sadd stadium in Doha on, Tuesday on June, 4, 2013. - AP file photo used only for representation.

Iran has detained 35 women for trying to attend a football match.

They tried to go to a game between Tehran teams Esteqlal and Persepolis on Thursday. Iran said they were temporarily held and would be released after the match.

FIFA's president, Gianni Infantino, was also in attendance, along with Iranian Sport Minister Masoud Soltanifar, according to a BBC report.

A live broadcast was taken off the air when a journalist asked Mr Soltanifar when women would be allowed to attend football matches.

According to the semi-official ISNA news agency, Iranian interior ministry spokesman Seyyed Salman Samani said the female football fans were not arrested - but transferred to a "proper place" by police.

Earlier reports said two women were held.

Iran has barred women from attending football games since the Iranian Revolution in 1979.

 

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