The Iranian people have said enough is enough. Several players and athletes have joined together with the Spanish law firm Ruiz-Huerta & Crespo, to submit a formal request that the Iranian Federation be suspended from the World Cup in Qatar.
“If women are not allowed to enter stadiums throughout the country, and the Iranian Football Federation simply follows and enforces government guidelines, they cannot be seen as an independent organization free from any form or type of influence. This is a violation of (Article 19) of FIFA’s statutes,” the statement read.
“This measure has been used to suspend Kuwait, India and the Iranian Federation itself in the past.
“The situation for women in Iran is deeply unpleasant. Tragically, the same evils and mistakes are perpetuated in the soccer world, which means that soccer, which should be a safe place for all, is not a safe space for women or even men.
“Women have been consistently denied access to stadiums across the country and have been systematically excluded from the soccer ecosystem in Iran, which is in sharp contradiction to FIFA’s values and statutes.”
FIFA can’t let neutrality be an option
The statement continued to put pressure on FIFA to take action, despite their historically neutral position on similar issues.
“FIFA must choose sides. FIFA’s neutrality is not an option, given that the Iranian FA has not been neutral but has mobilized to entrench the oppression and systematic exclusion of women in the sporting ecosystem.”
But it is not only women who have been victims in the country.
“The Iranian government has also stifled the voices of several athletes in the country and prevented their right to speak publicly.
“National team players such as Hossein Mahini, Aref Gholami and former prominent players such as Ali Karimi and Ali Daei, have been subjected to imprisonment, harassment or threats by the government.
“It is time for FIFA to take action, enough is enough.”