Iranian Woman Banned From Asian Tourney By Husband

Iran’s women national team captain, Niloofar Ardalan has been banned from attending the Asian championships by her husband Mehdi Tutunchi, a sportscaster.

Ardalan was hoping to attend the Asian futsal – a five a-side tournament – as captain but she has been banned from doing so by her husband who exercised his right under Islamic laws to allow his wife travel from home.

The championship runs from September 21 to 26 in Nilai but Ardalan would not be attending as the date coincides with her seven-year-old son’s first day at school.

In a bid to advocate for a change in the Islamic laws, Ardalan went public to plead with the Iranian FA to allow her represent her country.
She told Iran’s NASIM news agency: “I wish authorities would pass a law for sportswomen so we can defend our rights in these circumstances.
“As a Muslim woman I wanted to raise the flag of my country, I wasn’t going there for fun.”
The national team captain said her passport expired and her husband will not sign the paperwork necessary to renew it. The husband is however yet to publicly speak on the issue.
She continued: “Boys have the issue of military service [which prevents those who have not completed their compulsory service from traveling abroad]. A solution is found for them, and something should be done for women as well. “What is the difference between us?”
The law in Iran states that a woman cannot leave her home without the consent of her male guardian.The law was formulated in the 1980’s after the Islamic revolution in the country.