Forty years in the making: Iranian women attend their first football match

Published: Oct. 12, 2019, 10:28 a.m.

Over 3,000 women watched the Iranian national team beat Cambodia at the Azadi Stadium in Tehran after they were officially allowed to attend a football match for the first time. Women had been banned from attending men's sporting events in the country since the 1980s but after pressure from the sports world governing body FIFA and campaigners like Maryam Shojaei change has happened. But is enough being done? We hear from fans who attended and speak to Amnesty International about what more can be done. World Mental Health Day was marked this week and 25 year old American basketball player Imani McGee Stafford opened up to us about her story. She is six foot seven inches tall and pursued a career in basketball but life was not always this rosy. She tells Shari Vahl all. The Super League Grand Final takes place with Saint Helen's facing Salford in Manchester to win the sports biggest prize in domestic rugby. But we speak to a team who are hoping to be there next year. Toronto Wolfpack have just been promoted and their Chief Executive stops by to tell us about rugby in Canada and how this sport can grow in their country. Also in the programme we head live to Vienna to find out if Eliud Kipchoge has become the first person to run a marathon under two hours and travel to Huddersfield Town in England to hear about a new app which they are using to scout new footballing talent. Photo: Iranian Women's fans cheer during the FIFA World Cup Qualifier match between Iran and Cambodia (Getty Images)