Iranian soccer player suspended and fined for hugging a woman

Esteghlal FC goalkeeper Hossein Hosseini has been temporarily suspended by the Football Federation of Iran after hugging a woman who jumped onto the field after their game against Aluminum Arak. The committee said his actions were “unprofessional and beyond the legal duties of a player” and fined him three billion rials, around $4,500.

The woman, who was not wearing a hijab, breached security and approached Hosseini on the field. Security attempted to stop her, but she managed to reach the player, who gave her a very quick hug before they were able to remove both her and Hosseini.

Now, however, he is facing further discipline after a comment he made about paying the fine. “I will pay the fine, for the sake of that that woman fan,” said Hosseini. In that same interview, Hosseini said he was “happy that the disciplinary committee was kind and sanctioned me in 4 days.“ The federation said that he has been suspended for one game after that interview was conducted, stating that he violated article 71 of the disciplinary code. The article establishes a one-game sanction for players who “insult the competition officials” in interviews, article, or other media.

The decision has provoked strong criticism among other players, fans and Internet users. “Why did no one say anything and there was no fine when that man (Mahmud Ahmadinejad) hugged the mother of the Venezuelan president (late Hugo Chávez)?” Mansour Rashidi, former goalkeeper of the Venezuelan national soccer team, asked.

In the Islamic Republic, public contact between men and women who do not belong to the same family circle is not permitted. For 40 years, the Islamic Republic of Iran did not allow women to attend stadiums, a taboo that was broken in 2019 in an Iran-Cambodia match where 3,500 women attended, under pressure from FIFA. Since then, limited numbers of women have been allowed into stadiums.