Niloufar Ardalan, known as “Lady Goal”, was barred from travelling to a competition in Malaysia because her husband wanted to be at home for their son’s first day of school, according to Radio Free Europe.
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Iran’s Niloufar Ardalan will miss the 2015 Asian Cup after her husband took her passport and demanded she not play in the tournament.
“I wish authorities would create [measures] that would allow female athletes to defend their rights in such situations”, Ardalan told Nasimonline.ir.
“This tournament was very important for me and as a Muslim woman I wanted to hold my country’s flag high, I wasn’t going there to have fun”, she said.
ONE of Iran’s best female soccer players won’t compete in an upcoming international tournament because her husband, citing Islamic law, isn’t letting her travel abroad, instead insisting she stay home and take care of their child.
This case has sparked debate in Iran, with some people saying it’s a personal family issue that should have been kept private, while others are questioning the rights of women around the world.
Although Hassan Rouhani has served as the current Iranian president since 2013, he has not brought about any changes in the law yet, despite the fact that in 2012 lawmakers in Iran were actually considering altering the legislation hindering women’s mobility.
Her husband, a sports journalist and television presenter, has not publicly responded to her comments, according to Iranian media. Ebrahim Asgharzadeh, a former reformist MP and famous revolutionary in 1979, said on Instagram: “What is her crime?”
The footballer tells the Shirzanan Global website that she wants sportswomen to be temporarily exempted from the law when representing their country.
“This just shows to what extent this law can impact a woman’s life”, Sadr said in a telephone interview with RFE/RL.
However in 2014, he did bolster the cause when he urged equals rights for men and women and condemned sexual discrimination. “We shouldn’t make one-sided judgements”.
“Boys have the issue of military service [which prevents those who have not completed their compulsory service from travelling abroad]”.
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“What is the difference between us?”
