Women in Iran are not able to enjoy the European Championships in the country’s public sphere after the government in Tehran banned women from watching the matches.
Authorities said that watching the Euro 2012 football matches in public was “inappropriate” for women because men could become excited, a deputy police commander said in a statement to ISNA news agency on Sunday.
“It is an inappropriate situation when men and women watch football in (movie) theatres together,” said Bahman Kargar, Iran’s deputy police commander in charge of social affairs, according to the ISNA report.
“Men, while watching football, get excited and sometimes utter vulgar curses or tell dirty jokes,” he said. “It is not within the dignity of women to watch football with men. Women should thank the police” for the ban.
The Euro 2012 began on Friday in Poland and Ukraine and are being aired on state television in the ultra-conservative country.
They are also being shown in movie theatres as a continuation of a practice that became popular for couples and families during the 2010 World Cup and the 2011 AFC Asian Cup.
But for women, watching at home is the only option.
