‘Are our cheers less important?’

For one moment the women in Iran thought they were seeing some form of liberal attitude towards them taking shape in their Islamic country. And just as when they were rejoicing the small freedom of being able to watch football matches, their joy has been snatched away, all in the name of adhering to religious edicts.

In April, Iran president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said he would allow women to go for football games, as long as they sat on separate stands. At that time it sounded as though it was a small step in a long journey to emancipate the Iraqi women.

However that now looks to remain a dream after the country’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei overruled the president to bring back the ban.

Still it had not deterred some female supporters from attempting to watch their World Cup team train although naturally they were locked out.

One supporter asked: “We’re out here like beggars trying to support our own nation’s team. Are we not Iranians? Are our cheers less important?”

The irony of this is that the training was taking place at the Azadi (Freedom) sport complex. What freedom?

In some other places, a united band of all-gender supporters is seen as catalyst for a winning team. In Iran, this continues to remain a long-distance illusion.