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For the last 38 years, its been illegal for women to attend soccer matches in Iran. Two of the countrys most prominent names in the sport say its time to change that.

This is the demand of millions upon millions of female fans whod like to watch soccer matches and other events up close, Ali Karimi, a former Bayern Munich midfielder and current coach of one of Irans most popular teams, said told Iranian news agency ISNA this week (via RFE/RL). This important issue is not impossible, this dream of female sports fans can be achieved through correct planning.

Karimis comments follow those made late last month by current Iranian national team star Masoud Shojaei, who in a video shared by Radio Farda and other sites insinuated that women being allowed in stadiums would benefit the sport.

I think if [the ban is lifted] we would have to build a stadium that could hold 200,000 spectators, because we see the flood of passion from our ladies, he said (via RFE/RL).

[Iranian soccer player wore SpongeBob pants. Now hes banned.]

The ban the players referredto was imposed after the 1979 Islamic Revolution and is based on areligious ideaof keepingmale and female crowds apart. The ban also is based on conservative societal norms, according to Human Rights Watch, which noted last year the ban is based at least partly on the theory that women shouldnt hear male fans swear and curse.

The ban had previously applied to all sports, but in 2015, the Iranian government made a small exception to the law that allowed a limited number of women to attend mens volleyball matches, where the atmosphere is generallyless rowdy. The exemption was announced byShahindokht Molaverdi,Irans vice president for women and family affairs, amid wide protests to the law sparked by the 2014 arrest ofa 25-year-old British-Iranian womanwho attempted to enter an arena to watch a mens volleyball game.

While there is not an equivalent situation that is sparking wider calls for reform regarding soccer matches, Karimi andShojaei hope their arguments push Iranian PresidentHassan Rouhani to follow through on the promises of reform he made when he was reelected in May.

The conditions are set with the help of [Rouhani and the Iranian Football Federation], Karimi said in his comments this week.

I hope it happens very, very soon, added Shojaei, who personally met with Rouhani last month, RFE/RL reports, after Iran qualified for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

The domestic calls for reformcome amid stiltedinternational urging of Iran to change the law. Whileformer FIFA president Sepp Blatter called on Iran to begin admitting female fansinto the countrys soccer stadiums, current President Gianni Infantino has remained mostly silent on the matter.

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Iranian soccer stars call on government to repeal ban on women in stadiums - Washington Post