An estimated 500 women attended the Asian Champions League final in Iran on Saturday.GETTY IMAGES
Iranian equality campaigners questioned whether Saturday's decision to admit female fans to the Azadi Stadium for the Asian Champions League final "was a one-off or the start of a new era for sport in the country," according to Michael Church of REUTERS. Authorities in the conservative Islamic nation "relaxed a ban on female fans at club football matches" that has been in place since '81 to permit a group of women to attend the game between Tehran's Persepolis and Japanese club Kashima Antlers. Campaign group Open Stadiums tweeted, "This big festival of football passed. Our Q is: Do they let women attend next matches or not. What gonna be their excuses?! We'll wait and see." FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Asian Football Confederation President Sheikh Salman bin Khalifa attended the game and Infantino "praised Iranian officials for the decision to permit women to attend" days after FIFA General Secretary Fatma Samoura met campaigners in Switzerland (REUTERS, 11/11).
