Iran ban on women sporting fans criticized

One of Iran's female vice presidents launched a furious attack Saturday on what she called "sanctimonious" groups whose threats of violent confrontation at a volleyball match ultimately prompted a clampdown on women spectators.

Iran's volleyball team REUTERS/Olivia Harris

The criticism came from Shahindokht Molaverdi, who has the portfolio of women and family affairs.

It comes amidst a row between the government and conservative opponents over plans to ease restrictions at sporting events.

Volleyball is highly popular in Iran and Molaverdi last week said a limited number of women would be allowed to watch two matches against the United States in Tehran.

But security officials later contradicted her.

Streets surrounding the Azadi sports complex were heavily policed before and during Friday night's first match, with officers forbidding women from going anywhere near the venue.

And although 200 special tickets for women were printed, an Iranian volleyball official told AFP the accreditations had not been authorised by security officials at the arena, and were thus invalid.

A few women pictured on social media watching the match were not Iranian, the Fars news agency reported Saturday, but members of the Russian, Italian and Hungarian embassies in Tehran.

In the aftermath, Molaverdi, writing on Facebook, hit out at the ban, saying the government had respected the views of religious leaders while trying to respond to "the legal demands of a section of society."