Iranian female referee to judge men’s derby in Tehran

An Iranian female referee is to judge a derby in Tehran from the video assistant referee (VAR) room, an unprecedented development in the sports history of Iran where women are not normally allowed to judge men’s competitions.

“I am happy to see this taboo being broken,” said Mahnaz Zokaee, an Iranian FIFA-listed match official who officiates generally in the role of referee in the Kowsar Women’s Football League and AFC women’s competitions.

“Ms. Qorbani and I are highly likely to be present in the VAR room to judge the derby,” she noted.

“We received the license to work in 2021, but few people talked about it and most of the focus was on male referees,” she explained. “But I’m so excited for the happening which is unfolding,” said Zokaee.

“The Iran soccer needed to start this work at last, so that it would be able to get close to other countries as far as refereeing is concerned,” she added.

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