"Iran's Expulsion from Qatar World Cup" Appeals from Iran Sports Community, Will FIFA Make a Decision?

Human Rights Groups and Inside Iran Demand Removal of National Team Slots
"Women Face Restricted Access to Football Stadiums Across Iran"

Iranian female police officers monitoring female fans. Photo by EPA Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jeong-wan] Iranian sports officials have sent a letter to the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) demanding the revocation of Iran's national football team's qualification for the November Qatar World Cup finals.

On the 20th (local time), British broadcaster BBC and others reported that those who claimed to be 'football and sports officials' in Iran demanded FIFA to "immediately suspend the Iran Football Federation's qualification and prevent the Iran national football team from participating in the World Cup starting on the 20th of next month."

They emphasized, "The hostility and cruelty of the Iranian government towards its own people have reached their limit," and "Iran should be separated from the global sports community, including football."

They also pointed out that women are thoroughly excluded from Iran's football scene. In the letter, they stated, "Women are systematically excluded from the football ecosystem, including being denied access to football stadiums across Iran," adding, "This directly violates the values pursued by FIFA and related regulations."

They further claimed, "The Iran Football Federation only follows the directives of the Iranian government," and "The federation does not function properly as an independent organization and is not free from government influence." They added, "This violates Article 19 of FIFA regulations, which prohibits government interference."

In the past, FIFA has suspended the qualifications of countries such as Kuwait and India after confirming government interference in the administration and personnel of their football federations. The Iran Football Federation has also been sanctioned once in the past for similar reasons.

Regarding this, BBC reported, "Although Iran has not officially banned women from entering football stadiums, in reality, women's access to football stadiums is restricted in many ways." Last month, the international human rights organization 'Open Stadium' criticized discriminatory practices against women in Iranian football and demanded that FIFA revoke Iran's qualification for the Qatar World Cup.

Iran is in Group B in the Qatar World Cup finals, competing against England, the United States, and Wales.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.