Iran: Footballer summoned over hugging female fan — report

Iran's football ethics body has summoned a footballer after he was seen hugging a female fan before a game, local media reported on Friday.

Ramin Rezaeian, the 34-year-old defender for Tehran's Esteghlal team and the Iranian national team, reportedly embraced the fan ahead of the game with Chadormalou in the central province of Yazd on Thursday.

What do we know about the incident?

The Iranian Tasnim news agency reported that Rezaeian encountered the female fan when the players were on the bus transporting them.

"The ethics committee of the Football Federation of Iran has summoned Ramin Rezaeian," the news agency said, adding that he "must explain the incident to the committee."

Iran's Islamic law bans men and women from making physical contact unless they are closely related.

Female fan rushes the pitch

Last April, Esteghlal's captain Hossein Hosseini was suspended and fined over a similar incident involving a female fan. At the time, the fan had reportedly run on the pitch and embraced Hosseini in order to avoid arrest for not wearing the hijab.

He was suspended for one game and had to pay a fine of some $4,700 (roughly €4,500).

The incident sparked debate over the controversy surrounding women's access to stadiums.

Since Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution and until August 2022, women were generally banned from attending football games.

German soccer club supports Iran's feminist movement