'Girls must go to gigs': Iranian popstars enlist men in campaign against female ban

Iranian world pop band Abjeez called on men to support a vibrant movement to end Iran’s ban on women in sports stadium, in a newly released music video.

The pop group, made up of two Iranian-born sisters, released the video to ‘Stadium’ on Wednesday.

The song was sponsored by the Centre for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) and was released as part of a campaign by a coalition of human rights groups calling on FIFA to put pressure on Iran before the World Cup in June.

“The empty seat by your side is my place, to have me by your side is your right, It’s my right! Consider me a part of you, I am your equal,” the sisters sing.

“FIFA’s own rules say it won’t tolerate discrimination of any kind, yet it has done nothing to end the ban on Iranian women in stadiums,” said CHRI’s Executive Director Hadi Ghaemi.

“FIFA should uphold its own policies by showing Iran that it will be very costly to continue discriminating against women,” Ghaemi added.

Last month, Iran reportedly told FIFA that it will allow women to attend football matches "eventually", as the football organisation decides whether or not to sanction the country after 35 women were arrested in Tehran for attempting to attend a game.

However the Iranian president gave no time frame for the legislation change, and Infantino signalled his validation of the discriminatory policy by attending the derby between Tehran men's teams on Thursday with only men allowed into Azadi Stadium.

If FIFA applied statutes fully, Iran could be suspended from world soccer rather than preparing to play at the World Cup as one of 32 finalists in Russia in June. 

Article Four prohibits "discrimination of any kind against a ... gender." A breach should be "punishable by suspension or expulsion" for a country's soccer federation, the rule states.

Neighbouring Saudi Arabia allowed women into a sports stadium for the first time in January to watch football matches, although in keeping with the ultra-conservative kingdom's customs they were segregated in the stands from the male-only crowd with designated seating.

The movement to allow women into Iranian stadiums has been gaining momentum for a while, and Iranian women desperate to watch games have even disguised as men to gain access to matches.

Iran has disregarded previous pleas from FIFA to open its stadiums to women. Blatter, who preceded Infantino as FIFA president, used stronger language in 2015 to express frustration at the lack of progress. Blatter said he was given the impression in 2013 by Rouhani that the "intolerable situation could change over the medium term."

"This cannot continue," Blatter wrote on the FIFA website in 2015. "Hence, my appeal to the Iranian authorities; open the nation's football stadiums to women."