.... But even the most minor of protests against Iran in another country, comes with its risks. "We are determined to do it but many of us are scared," Fatemeh says. "Some of us work for public services, and it's completely possible that [some] could return home to find they've lost their jobs as a punishment. The police could launch investigations into us and our families. Anything is possible in Iran. And of course there will be hate messages on social media from the hardliners back home."
There are, perhaps, signs pointing to a brighter future. In March, a sustained social media campaign ahead of FIFA president Gianni Infantino's visit to the Tehran derby, saw Infantino raise the issue of stadium access for women with the Iranian president. Infantino later claimed the president had assured him that access would soon be granted.
However, Iran's female football fans remain to be convinced.
"There are many in government who believe that women should be allowed to enter stadiums," Fatemeh says. "But it isn't their decision to make. The real power lies with the supreme leader who rules the Islamic state. I hope that within my lifetime, women no longer have to take risks for the basic rights of being able to watch a match. I think every one of us just wants to go to a stadium as a woman with respect." [VICE] Read more
