FIFA: Did a Woman Have to Die Before You Stepped In?
FIFA officials will make a visit to Iran after a young woman set herself on fire after being arrested for attending a soccer match.
FIFA (the International Federation of Association Football) gave the Islamic Republic until August 31 to allow women to enter soccer stadiums, but the deadline passed with no signs of compliance. Unfortunately, it appears that it has taken the death of young woman to wake FIFA up.
This story began when Sahar Khodayari, a young Iranian woman who has been since dubbed “Blue Girl” (due to her favorite team’s colors), was arrested for trying to enter a soccer stadium disguised as a man.
After spending three days in jail, she was released on bail and a court date was set for six month later. However, when Khodayari showed up for her trial, she found that it was postponed due to the judge being called away for a family emergency.
It was reported that when she went to pick up her cell phone, she overheard someone saying that if she was convicted, she would be sentence to between six months and two years in jail.
Hearing this, she set herself on fire in front of the courthouse and later died in the hospital.
Women have been forbidden from entering stadiums to watch men’s sporting events since 1981, two years after the Islamic Revolution that propelled the ayatollahs into power. One exception was made last year when women were allowed in a stadium to watch the streaming of the World Cup.
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