Football’s world governing body FIFA has been called on to ban Iran from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
A group of Iranian football and sports figures has formally requested the body to temporarily suspend the Iran Football Association.
They claim that the government has intervened in Iran by not allowing women to enter stadiums, which is a violation of FIFA rules.
“Fifa’s neutrality cannot be an option here,” the group says.
The call comes as the country’s security forces crack down on widespread anti-government protests in Iran.
A similar request was made earlier last month by the human rights group Open Stadiums.
“Iran’s brutality and aggressive treatment of its own people have reached its peak, demanding an unequivocal and firm disengagement from the world of football and sports,” the group said.
“Women have been consistently denied access to stadiums across the country and have been systematically excluded from the Iranian football system, which is in stark contrast to FIFA’s values and laws.”
“If women are not allowed to enter stadiums across the country, and the Iranian Football Federation is only following government directives, they cannot be seen as an independent organization and free from any influence. This is a violation of Article 19 of FIFA’s values.”
Although there is no official ban on women entering men’s playgrounds in Iran, they are often not allowed to enter.
Earlier this year, FIFA wrote to Iranian authorities requesting that they allow more women into stadiums, and some women were allowed to attend some scheduled matches in Iran’s Persian Gulf Pro League.
The group, backed by a Spanish law firm, said other countries had been banned for similar violations in the past.
“The FIFA Council should immediately suspend Iran,” they said.
“FIFA should not allow a country to participate that is actively oppressing its women, athletes and children simply for exercising their basic human rights.”
