Football is not just for boys
Football is Iran’s most popular sport and when it comes to the national team, many young people schedule their days so they have enough time to watch the games. Eleven-year-old Behnaz Eskandari is no exception. She is very happy that her school exams finished before the World Cup began, giving her plenty of time to follow the matches – particularly the ones between Iran and its competitors. In Iran, girls like Behnaz who are fanatical about football have to content themselves with watching matches on TV. Despite frequent efforts to open stadium gates to women, they are still not allowed. Behnaz defied the rules though. Accompanied by her father and uncle, she snuck in to Tehran’s Azadi Stadium last March dressed like a boy. “When we walked in, the guard said ‘Good boy’ to me,” she says. “I shouted so much that day my voice went hoarse.” She inherited her love of football from her father and uncles and even played the game with her cousins when she was younger. Now that she has grown up this is no longer allowed. “Football is very exciting but I could not keep playing,” she says. Now she fills her time with gymnastics and studying English instead. Although her adventure in the stadium was exciting, Behnaz is not interested in trying it again. That day, she narrowly escaped with her life after getting caught in a stampede. The rush of the crowd left seven dead and about 40 people were injured. Behnaz spent five days in hospital after her father and another man helped pull her out. Behnaz hopes she can one day play for Iran’s all-female team. In the meantime, she is keeping her fingers crossed that Iran makes it through to the semi-final round in the World Cup.
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