Women have died to be allowed to enter stadiums in Iran

IT'S a sharp, cold evening at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, where the Women's Super League (WSL) derby is about to kick-off.

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And among the legions of City and United fans who have turned out in zero degrees, sit a row of four sisters keenly watching the teams warm up.

Mozhgan, Resalat and Roma Ghafouri once played in the Afghan Premier League, while their sister Rozma was a renowned manager.

But today they are thinking of a woman from Iran, the country they once lived in as refugees, where women are banned from even entering football stadiums.

"It is wonderful to be here, and especially to hear young girls singing football songs on the terraces," Mozhgan, 28, says. "But, for us, being in a stadium is something we cannot take for granted.

"Women have died to be allowed to enter a football stadium in Iran. And in Afghanistan, since 2021, women's sport has been banned and criminalised by the Taliban."

In 2019, Sahar Khodayari - known as the Blue Girl after the colours of her favourite Iranian football team, Esteghlal - was caught sneaking into a match at Tehran's Azadi Stadium disguised as a male spectator.

SACRIFICE

After learning that she faced imprisonment, she set herself on fire and subsequently died in hospital, sparking a human rights outcry in Iran and across the world.

"She was a victim, but she became an icon," Roma, 30, says. "An icon for all Iranian girls. Her sacrifice has led to change in Iran."

With terrible irony, Azadi means freedom - and all the sisters have ever wanted is the freedom to play and coach football.

But born under the Taliban, their family had to flee to Iran when they were children - and there, under a hardline government, they were not allowed to enter stadiums.