For the first time since a year after the Iran’s revolution in 1979, Iranian women were allowed into the Azadi Stadium to watch a men’s sporting event.
Fans trooped to the stadium after the Provincial Council on Wednesday morning decided that women should be allowed into the stadium for a screening of their national team’s World Cup match against Spain.
The Iran national team had won their first world cup match since 1998, beating Morocco in their opening Russia 2018 game, and fans had trooped out into the streets.
The win had put even more pressure on the government to allow women into stadiums, and they finally caved.
A little difficulty was still faced, as police barricaded the entrance to the stadium and refused to let fans in. The match would not be broadcasted, they said.
Permission issued for families (men, women; while women are not allowed in stadiums in #Iran) to watch #IRNESP at Azadi stadium, 10K tickets sold, people go there, police stop them, people start resisting, social media help, interior ministry says event will be held, gates open pic.twitter.com/krikQWHg1E
— Sobhan Hassanvand (@Hassanvand) June 20, 2018
UNPRECEDENTED: Iranian women at Azadi stadium to watch (televised) #IRNESP at #worldcup pic.twitter.com/oKnRmFSURx
— Sobhan Hassanvand (@Hassanvand) June 20, 2018
Fans, however, remained outside, until the country’s Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli intervened and ordered that they are let in.
Several fans shared photos and videos of themselves inside the stadium, carrying vuvuzelas and flags.
For the first time in 37 years, Iranian women have been allowed to enter Iran’s stadium to watch the World Cup action on the big screen. 🇮🇷 pic.twitter.com/yapQytfdsz
— Juan “WorldCup” Direction (@JuanDirection58) June 20, 2018
ورزشگاه آزادی، هماکنون! pic.twitter.com/02j1CiBPVq
— Team Melli IRAN (@TeamMelliIran) June 20, 2018
rare moment for Iranian women to be allowed into this big stadium, after the Interior Minister stepped in & ordered the police to get along. tho many alrdy left the evnt or decided to not go there as police was not allowing ppl over the last couple of hrs.pic.twitter.com/HmOA1iBPnP
— Hadi Nili (@HadiNili) June 20, 2018
