Authorities in Tehran cancelled plans to allow families to watch Iran's World Cup football opener against Morocco on Friday in the stadium and public parks of the Islamic republic's capital.
The Islamic republic is thought to be the only country in the world that refuses to allow fans to gather in open public spaces for the World Cup, possibly due to opposition to the idea of men and women watching together. There had been excitement after officials at Tehran's Azadi Stadium announced that families would be allowed in to watch Friday's match together for the first time. But Khabar Varzeshi, a sports news website, said the plan had been called off at the last minute without any explanation. However, it added that stadium officials were working to get permits for Iran's remaining group stage matches against Spain and Portugal. Local journalists said they had also received a text message from the sports ministry, telling them that plans to erect screen in public parks had also been cancelled.