The incidents of March 29 in the northeastern city of Mashhad  rekindled a dormant debate on the right of Iranian women to attend soccer matches as spectators. 

Iran’s national football team, which previously qualified for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, was slated to play Lebanon in its final World Cup qualifier showdown last Tuesday. Nearly 2,000 women purchased tickets to watch the game at the Imam Reza Stadium, but in front of the venue gates, they were abruptly told they couldn’t watch the match.

Having valid tickets, the women resisted and chanted in protest, but were met with tear gas and pepper spray. Some women were reportedly beaten with batons, and others sustained injuries from pepper spray.

Authorities in Mashhad, one of the holiest Shiite cities in Iran, autonomously enforce an array of restrictions on civil liberties that exceed norms in the rest of the country. These include a de facto ban on live music performances and a stricter hijab mandate, particularly at the Shrine of the 8th Shiite Imam Reza, where all female pilgrims are required to wear chadors, a head-to-toe covering.