Iranian female fans will be allowed entry into the stadium to watch men’s football World Cup qualifying match coming up in October in the Islamic Republic.
The official IRNA news agency, quoted a Sports Ministry official as saying on Sunday, following heightened pressure from FIFA.
Though foreign women have had limited access to matches in Iran, Iranian women however, were banned from the stadium when male teams are playing, since the Islamic revolution in 1979.
FIFA wrote to the Iranian Football Federation in June, asking it to provide a timeline for women to be able to buy tickets for the qualifiers, or face consequences.
The AFC, the Asian football governing body, which has 47 members including Iran, said on Tuesday it was working to help world soccer governing body FIFA, find an “amicable solution” that would allow Iranian female fans to attend future games in Iran.
Iranian female fans had long campaigned to be allowed to watch men’s soccer, and occasionally a limited number of women had been allowed into the stadium.
In June, some women were detained by security forces when they went to the Azadi Stadium for a friendly match against Syria.
Last year, some women risked arrest by donning fake beards and wigs to attend a major game in the stadium.
Their pictures and videos were posted on social media.
The 2022 World Cup will be held in Qatar.
PT: There seems to be no buzz around this edition of the African Games. Do you think this big event is waning down on its importance?
Alli: I think to me in Nigeria we have lost the hype around the African Games. In those days when you walk around the streets of the country especially Lagos, you will know Nigeria is going for African Games. But this year, honestly people are even asking questions – when is African Games, have they started – when the game is already ongoing.
I think this year, everything is down, perhaps because of the economic downturn across the world including in Nigeria. For me the African Games is no longer glamorous as it used to be, even the athletes, the Games is no longer showbiz as it used to be. In those days, weeks, months before the African Games, athletes already have their wares, your tracksuits and all your kits are ready. But now, I doubt it, I don’t even know the colours they would be wearing
PT: What is your most memorable and then sad moment at the African Games?
Alli: One great moment I remember was the 1987 edition in Kenya. In the last event of that edition, it was the 4x400m Men’s relay, Kenya thought they have already won as they were in the clear lead like 50 meters to go before Innocent Egbunike came from behind to catch and overtake Kenya’s Simon Kito. I remember the President of Kenya then, Arab Moi, said this Innocent is not innocent. Till tomorrow I will always remember that incidence.
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Then the down part of it was in 1995 in Harare when we won the 4x100m relay and after the dope test, one of Nigeria’s athletes tested positive to a banned substance. As you know, Nigerians always try to cheat in track and field and that is not good enough.
So long and short we lost that gold medal and it was very painful for me not just as the manager, the other members of the relay team were also downcast.
PT: Most of the records at African Games are held by Nigerians, how does that make you feel and is this a reflection of what athletics is in this country or was several years back?
Alli: Those records speak to how great Nigeria was. If you look at it, the last of those records was set in 1995, there are no recent records. Nigeria used to be a power to reckon with in Africa and the world as a whole. Then at the Olympics games, world championships and all the big meets, you will always see Nigerian athletes back then. But now the only people you see around in circuits is maybe Blessing and then Tobi Amusan, you don’t see any Green White Green again. It is sad. But we can still come back and do the right thing. We have the numbers, we are about 200 million and that is massive. All we need is the right structure and the right minister with the direction and focus on what needs to be done.
PT: So do you have high expectations of Nigeria doing well at this African Games.
Alli: Not at all, we did not prepare well enough. Sports generally needs the best of preparations and I have not seen that going to this Games. I am not talking of preparations in terms of paperwork by the sports ministry; in terms of the nitty-gritty which is the athletes, we did not prepare.
