Iran has again denied women entry to a football stadium to watch an international match, leaving hundreds of ticketed fans locked out, Iranian media said Wednesday.
"About 2,000 Iranian women, who had bought tickets for the Iran-Lebanon match, were present in the perimeter of Imam Reza stadium, but could not enter the stadium," ISNA news agency said.
Iran's team captain Alireza Jahanbakhsh criticized the lockout.
"I don't think anything would have happened if women had come to the stadium, and this could promote our culture," he said, quoted on IRIB state television.
In January, women were allowed to attend an international for the first time in almost three years, for a World Cup qualifier against Iraq.
The Islamic republic has banned female spectators from football and other sports stadiums since it was established in 1979.
Clerics, who play a major role in decision-making, argue women must be shielded from the masculine atmosphere.
But world football's governing body FIFA ordered Iran in September 2019 to allow women access to stadiums without restriction and in numbers to be determined according to demand for tickets.
