UEFA To Dispute Innovative Law On Teams Not Playing Where Women Can’t Watch From Stadium

Iran, though, has been the focus of devotion since a female fan died earlier this month, after setting herself on fire to protest against
her arrest for attending a match.

Soccer’s world governing body FIFA says it has been given guarantees
by Iranian consultants that their World Cup finalist against Cambodia in Tehran
on Oct. 10 will be open to women.

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said his body did not have
the authority to punish European teams who might play in countries that do not
allow unhampered access to women.

He, however, stressed that there was wide support in his association
for the approach and for not playing teams from those countries.

“We cannot punish anyone if they play (in these countries)
because it is out of our prerogative but that doesn’t mean we should be quiet
and say we can’t do anything and we (just) advance European football,” said the
Slovene.

“Our advice to 55 associations and all the clubs… will be
not to play there or with the teams from those countries where the basic rights
of women are not respected.

“The councils of the clubs and the leagues approved with us”