An Iranian soccer federation spokesman has confirmed that Irish women will be allowed to attend the Republic of Ireland's World Cup play-off with Iran next Thursday. The decision, which means the game will be the first attended by females since the 1979 Islamic revolution, will come as a relief to the 300 or so Irish women who are expected to travel amongst a total travelling support of 1,000.
Women are banned from Iranian soccer stadiums to protect them from the bad language and rude gestures of male fans, while crowd noise is turned down to a minimum during live television coverage to ensure women viewers at home are not offended. However, a spokesman confirmed today: "About 300 Irish women fans visiting Iran will be able to enter the stadium, but Iranian women are not allowed. The Irish do not speak Farsi, so they will not understand the bad language which most of the Iranian men use during the matches."
Iranian women were beaten and turned away from a play-off against Australia for the 1998 World Cup, which Iran won to qualify for the last finals.
Filed by Shane Murray
