Why FIFA condemns sexism in Iran?
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/02/opinion/fifa-women-iran-infantino.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fopinion&action=click&contentCollection=opinion®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=7&pgtype=sectionfront
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/02/opinion/fifa-women-iran-infantino.html?rref=collection/sectioncollection/opinion&action=click&contentCollection=opinion®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=7&pgtype=sectionfront
Why Is FIFA Condoning
Gender Apartheid?
By BARI
WEISS MARCH 2, 2018
President Hassan Rouhani
of Iran, right, receiving a soccer jersey from FIFA’s president, Gianni
Infantino, on Thursday. CreditIranian Presidential Office European
Pressphoto Agency
Over the past few months,
the world has once again been reminded of the gender apartheid long practiced
in Iran — and of the bravery of Iranian women languishing under it. Late last
year protesters began removing their compulsory hijabs in public and waving
them in defiant protest. At least 29 women have been jailed for seeking the
freedom to show their hair. Some have been beaten. All that in a country in
which husbands have a legal right to bar their wives from working and in which
a woman’s testimony in court is worth half that of a man’s.
So why is Gianni
Infantino, the president of FIFA, the world soccer federation, doing his part
to condone the Islamic Republic’s misogyny?
Mr. Infantino — who took
the reins of FIFA in 2016 after a corruption scandal brought down his
predecessor, Sepp Blatter — was in Tehran this week in part to meet with Iran’s
president, Hassan Rouhani, and to resolve a continuing
dispute between Iranian and Saudi Arabian clubs. On Thursday, the FIFA
chief attended the Tehran Derby, one of the country’s biggest annual soccer
matches, in Iran’s national soccer stadium, Azadi, meaning freedom.
It’s a name that is
bitterly ironic for Iranian women, who have not been allowed inside the stadium
since the Islamic revolution of 1979. In 2006, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, president
at the time, lifted the ban on the grounds that the presence of women
would “promote chastity,” but his decision was overturned just a month
later by the supreme leader. Then in 2012, the barring of women was
extended to volleyball matches.
A young woman in Iran
dressed as a man in an effort to enter a stadium to see a soccer match.
Even Saudi Arabia has
opened its stadiums to women: In the fall, following his historic decision
allowing women to drive, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman opened Riyadh’s King
Fahd stadium, Jeddah’s King Abdullah Sports City stadium and Dammam’s Prince
Mohammed Bin Fahd stadium to female fans.
But Iran’s women are
still waiting to be allowed in the stands. Last April, eight women were
arrested after sneaking into Azadi stadium to watch a game while dressed
as men. The prohibition is the subject of JafarPanahi’s acclaimed 2006 film
“Offside,” which, perhaps unsurprisingly, was banned in Iran. Even Mr. Blatter,
a man not otherwise famous for his moral rectitude, called on Iran to end
its barring of female fans in 2015.
“The Tehran Derby is one
of the most important matches of the year,” one of the Tehran-based activists
behind Open Stadiums, an organization fighting for the rights of women to
watch sporting events in stadiums like Azadi, wrote me in an email. “For many
girls and women, their biggest wish is to be there in Azadi stadium. Infantino
had a huge opportunity here to make a statement about equality and dignity. It
would have been an amazing statement on behalf of Iranian women if he refused
to go to the game.” The activist asked to remain anonymous for fear of
retaliation.
Mr. Infantino, during his
visit to Azadi, seemed to ignore questions from a female journalist about
“women’s rights to be allowed into the stadiums,” according to a tweet from
HadiNili of the BBC’s Persian service. Meantime, outside the stadium, 35
women were detained for trying to watch the game alongside their fellow
citizens and the head of FIFA. According to the activist from Open Stadiums,
several other women who dressed as men to sneak into the stadium were also
arrested.
What a missed
opportunity. Just imagine if Mr. Infantino had made a statement explaining why
he couldn’t attend the game. Or insisted that he’d attend only in the company
of some female soccer stars. Or attended the game, but used the opportunity to
publicly call for women’s equality in Iranian soccer.
Such a gesture would have
been in keeping with the image of a dignified FIFA that Mr. Infantino has
relentlessly pushed since he took charge. “We will restore the image of FIFA
and the respect of FIFA, and everyone in the world will applaud us,” he
said during his acceptance speech in February 2016.
The organization’s
governing rules make its stance on discrimination absolutely clear. Article
Four of the FIFA Statutes “places particular emphasis on identifying and
addressing differential impacts based on gender and on promoting gender
equality and preventing all forms of harassment, including sexual harassment.”
And last May, as part of an aggressive rebranding effort, the
organization adopted a Human Rights Policy that promised to “apply
effective leverage” to strengthen “human rights in or through football.”
Or not. On Thursday I
contacted FIFA to ask about Mr. Infantino’s visit to Azadi. “FIFA is strongly
committed to promoting the protection of human rights, including especially the
right of women to attend football matches,” a spokesman said, adding that one
of the “main purposes” of Mr. Infantino’s trip was to raise this issue. “During
his meeting with the Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, President Infantino
underlined the importance that all football fans irrespective of gender should
be allowed to cheer and support their favorite teams inside the stadium,
especially in a country like Iran, where the whole population is so passionate
about football. President Rouhani promised positive developments on this in the
near future.”
That’s fine as
boilerplate, and maybe FIFA is serious about putting pressure on Mr. Rouhani.
But the real test of FIFA’s seriousness is whether it is willing to apply
serious penalties to countries that think the rules of the beautiful game, both
on the field and off, don’t apply to them.
“This isn’t just a soccer
game,” said Minky Worden, director of global initiatives at Human Rights Watch.
“This is a statement about whether or not FIFA considers women second-class
citizens.”
Do you, Mr. Infantino?
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