The 'International Woman Day' was mentioned throughout the entire western world during the past week, and reached its peak yesterday. As a social-gender issue, there are many supporters and criticizers for the main purpose and intention of this day.
In an interesting timing, the question of women's rights and social justice has aroused in the context of Asian football and FIFA. In the middle of the climax you can find one of the most discussed countries in the world: Iran.
The FFIRI (Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran) has launched lately an application to host the AFC Asian Cup competition in 2019. Iran already hosted two editions of the tournament in 1968 and 1976. Eventually, the United Arab Emirates was chosen as the tournaments hosts, and here are some details and thoughts about the decision.
Yesterday, their bid received a reaction from the almighty FIFA’s president, Mr. Sepp Blatter. As commonly known, women are not allowed in football stadiums and sports events in Iran. Blatter has expressed his uncomfortableness from the fact and the idea that the AFC (Asian Football Federation) will hold a tournament with no women in the stands, and asked the Iranians to regulate the subject immediately, in order to progress with their application. Iranian Football Federation has sent the subject to the desk of the republic’s president, Hassan Rouhani. His response is yet to arrive. In order to cool the ambiance, Ali Kafashian, FFIRI’s president, claimed that “There is no ban for non-Iranian women to attend the matches at the stadiums”. In addition, he stated “This is a minor issue compared to the other factors we must have”, urging that facilities renovation is a major issue then women presence in the games. A known foreign affairs analyst explained BabaGol: “In Middle Eastern language, he meant that the issue is not negotiable, and that they are not going to change anything about it either”.
Kafashian has acted against his own aim. Nowadays, hosting an international football tournament in your country is a way of transfer a message to the world. A message that shows you can speak the ‘international language of football’. A language officially based on liberal principles which ask to eliminate symptoms such as Racism and Slavery, and encouraging human rights and women’s equality. It is not simple task to speak this language correctly. We have more than handful examples of big tournaments which failed to transfer those principles: Ukraine and Poland 2012, South Africa 2010, Brazil 2014, and soon the World Cups in Russia and Qatar. The damage for the country’s image is decisive. After the ‘Selfie Case’ in the previous Asian Cup, the FFIRI couldn’t ask for a worst PR news reports, ahead of their bid for 2019 competition.
To hand-in a bid for hosting an international sport event, means that you are able to produce a huge complicated and accurate operation, while overcoming administrative and political issues along the way. After the successful tournament in Australia last January, the Iranians must have some convincing claims that they can put up such a show, if they want to win the hosting application. At the moment it does seem like the FFIRI is dealing with a serious religious, cultural and ethical question, whether Iran is ready to enter the modern days of hosting major football events.
There is a huge sense of hypocrisy and populism in Blatter’s requirement. FIFA, and especially Blatter, have done everything to approve the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, while the country is violating human rights on a daily basis, and the reports about construction workers being killed during the building of the stadiums in the country, just keeping on coming.
Blatter’s demand to regulate women presence in the stadia of the tournament that will be held in Iran brings up an important question: Is it O.K. to accept and to push forward the World Cup in Qatar, while dismissing Iran’s bid due to similar reasons? The elections time in FIFA is getting closer, and it seems like the current chief of the organization is trying to buy some easy western voices in a relevant hot topic, as women’s rights.
At the same time yesterday, Sehikha Alya Ahmed Saif Al Thani, the permanent representative of Qatar to the UN, was discussing the subject of women discrimination in the Muslim world at Al-Monitor, and declared proudly that Qatar was one of those countries that joined in the recognition of the convention on eliminating discrimination against women. Thani spoke about the importance of a slow procedure of changing the injustice towards women in Muslim societies.
She was asked about the biggest misconceptions about women in Qatar and in the Middle East, and concluded the matter with the differences of Muslim women’s dressing codes and Islamophobia. In Middle Eastern language she means: “Stop criticizing us. This is our culture and religion, and it’s not like the Western society behavior to women is perfect”.
Blatter, as a an experienced politician, felt comfortable to push the women’s rights button in relation to the Iranian issue, while knowing his Qatari compatriots are working hard diplomatically to clean the country’s stereotype, in advance to the forthcoming 2022 World Cup.
After Russia 2018 and before Qatar 2022, the 2019 Asian Cup in the United Arab Emirates will have a heavy political weight.
This is just another expression of the conflicts between Islam and Western World that had been emphasized in football. The clashes between cultures, religions and money will continue to be reflected on the green surface, and will continue to hope to be squeezed and determined by a goal in a football game.