Overruling a move to let women into stadiums, keeping a ban that drove a fan to self-immolation
In 2006 Khamenei overruled President Ahmadinejad's order allowing women into sports stadiums, his first open challenge to the new government. The ban stayed largely in place for decades. In 2019 fan Sahar Khodayari set herself on fire after learning she could be jailed for trying to enter a match, and women have since been admitted only occasionally and in limited numbers.
Editorial timeline of public reporting, not a legal finding.
- Khamenei overrules Ahmadinejad's stadium order - Al Jazeera, citing Reuters, and The Irish Times reported that a government official said Khamenei had instructed the government to consider the views of religious leaders and reverse the decision allowing women into stadiums. It was the first time he had openly challenged government policy since Ahmadinejad took office. Iran to keep stadium ban on women
- Death of Sahar Khodayari, the 'Blue Girl' - The Guardian reported that Sahar Khodayari, 29, set herself on fire after learning she might face six months in jail for trying to sneak into a match, reportedly disguised as a man, and died. Her death increased pressure from FIFA and rights campaigners on Iran. Thousands of Iranian women watch football match for first time
- More than 3,000 women admitted to a segregated section for the first time in four decades - The Guardian reported that more than 3,000 women watched Iran play Cambodia from a special section of a Tehran stadium, after being allowed to buy match tickets for the first time in four decades. Thousands of Iranian women watch football match for first time
- Women blocked from a Mashhad stadium and pepper sprayed - Human Rights Watch and RFE/RL reported that although about 2,000 tickets had been made available to women for Iran's match against Lebanon, police blocked them from entering Imam Reza stadium in Mashhad and pepper sprayed them when they protested. Iran: Women Blocked From Entering Stadium