LONDON — FIFA President Sepp Blatter called on Iran to end a ban on women in soccer stadiums.
“A collective ‘stadium ban’ still applies to women in Iran, despite the existence of a thriving women’s football organization,” Blatter wrote in the FIFA Weekly published by the sport’s global ruling body. “This cannot continue.”
More than 30 million girls and women play soccer in 209 member associations and 14 percent of all young players are female, according to FIFA. Last year the International Football Association Board said head coverings are permitted in official soccer games.
Qatar will host the 2022 World Cup, while Jordan is holding the next under-17 Women’s World Cup in 2016.
Blatter is running for a fifth term as president of FIFA, a bid that would extend a tenure marked by controversy, including the selection of Qatar and Russia to host the next two World Cups. In 2004, he said public interest in women’s soccer would grow if players wore “tighter shorts.”
He said Friday that women are the sport’s future.
“The potential for growth is greater than in any other area of our sport, and the opportunity to overcome social and community barriers is even more pronounced,” Blatter wrote. “Even in territories where women are all but invisible for cultural reasons, football can instill a sense of purpose and self-worth that is too often denied them in their everyday lives.”