The "Blue Girl", a surprised Iranian sneaking into the football stadium, dies after being burned by fire instead of going to jail

Dubai, United Arab Emirates – An Iranian woman detained for being dressed as a man to sneak into a football stadium to witness the death of a match after being immolated by the fire, knowing that she could spend six months in prison, reported Tuesday semi-official media outlets. The self-immolation death of Sahar Khodayari, 29, shocked Iranian officials and the public, becoming an immediate hashtag trend on the Islamic Republic's social media.

It also comes from the fact that FIFA is working with the Iranian authorities to lift the ban on women entering stadiums for men's games, a ban imposed since the Islamic revolution in 1979. FIFA wants the problem be solved before October 10, when Iran – the first Asian team – will hold its first World Cup qualifier against Cambodia.

Khodayari died Monday in a Tehran hospital after being burned to 90% of the body. She had been on a respirator since being sprinkled with gasoline in front of the Ershad courthouse in Tehran on September 2, according to the Iranian news website Rokna, which publishes in Iran with the permission of the government.

She had just learned that she could be tried by an Iranian revolutionary court and jailed for six months, her father said on the website.

Khodayari's sister told Iran's reformist Shahrvand newspaper that her sister was suffering from bipolar disorder. Her father said that she had stopped taking medication a year ago.

In March, Khodayari attempted to sneak into Tehran's Azadi stadium to watch his favorite team, Esteghlal, face the UAE team, Al Ain. As in other games, she disguised herself as a man wearing a blue wig and a long coat, which earned her the nickname "Blue Girl". However, the police arrested her after an altercation and arrested her.

She spent three nights in prison before being released pending her trial. She would have gone back to court to recover her seized cell phone and learned that she could face a jail sentence.

The news of his death ricocheted across Iran on Tuesday, with tributes carrying the hashtagged "BlueGirl".

Former Bayern Munich midfielder Ali Karimi – who played 127 games for Iran and was a strong supporter of lifting the ban on women – urged Iranians to boycotting football stadiums to protest Khodayari's death.

The Iranian-Armenian footballer Andranik "Ando" Teymourian, the first Christian to be captain of the Iranian national team and also player of Esteghlal, said in a tweet that one of the biggest stadiums of Tehran football should bear the name of Khodayari, "in the future."

Legislator Parvaneh Salahshouri called Khodayari an "Iranian girl" and tweeted, "We are all responsible".

There have been no reports of Khodayari's death in the Iranian media or in the major semi-official news agencies. The conservative Shafaqna news agency acknowledged his death on Tuesday in a brief statement, noting that the case had attracted the attention of the international community and caused the "counterrevolutionary media" to cry.

FIFA is trying to push Iran to allow women to participate in matches. A partial exception was made in November when hundreds of Iranian women, separated from their supporters, were admitted to Azadi Stadium in Tehran to attend the Asian Champions League final.

However, local matches have maintained the restriction. Volleyball, another popular sport, also sees officials banning women from attending male games in the capital, Tehran, although women have been allowed to participate in some matches in other cities. Iranian.

The hard-line Shiite clerics, citing their own interpretation of Islamic law, believe in the segregation of men and women at public events, as well as the protection of women against male sport.

However, this has drawn criticism from human rights defenders abroad and at home.

"The stadium ban is not enshrined in law or regulation, but is ruthlessly enforced by the country's authorities," wrote Mindy Worden, director of global initiatives at Human Rights Watch.

She added that Khodayari's suicide highlighted "the need for Iran to end its ban on attending women's sports matches – and the urgency for control bodies like the FIFA to enforce its own rules on human rights ".

To his knowledge, Amnesty International has stated that "Iran is the only country in the world to arrest and punish women" who seek to enter football stadiums. Saudi Arabia, a long-time company, recently allowed women to attend matches under the leadership of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

"What happened to Sahar Khodayari is heartbreaking and reveals the impact of the Iranian authorities' appalling disregard for women's rights in the country," said Philip Luther, director of research and advocacy at Amnesty International.

"Her only" crime "was to be a woman in a country where women face legal discrimination that manifests itself in the most horrific way in all areas of their lives. even in the sport, "added Luther.