Iran has 'assured' women can attend qualifier - Infantino

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VIDEO SHOWS: PRESIDENT OF FIFA, GIANNI INFANTINO, SAYING FIFA HAS BEEN ASSURED BY IRANIAN AUTHORITIES THAT WOMEN WILL BE ABLE TO ATTEND THE OCTOBER WORLD CUP QUALIFIER IN TEHRAN

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT

SHOWS: MILAN, ITALY (SEPTEMBER 22, 2019) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)

1. NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS

2. FIFA PRESIDENT, GIANNI INFANTINO, ARRIVING TO NEWS CONFERENCE

3. NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS

4. (SOUNDBITE) (English) FIFA PRESIDENT, GIANNI INFANTINO, SAYING:

"I would like to mention the situation in Iran. You have been certainly hearing or reading about the situation in Iran and we have been discussing over the last year so the Iranian authorities to allow the women to go to football games. There is women's football in Iran, you have football representatives here from Iran, and this is great. But we need Iranian women as well to be able to attend the men's games. We need to push for that, with respect, but in a strong and forceful way. We cannot wait anymore. We have been assured that as of the next international game of Iran, which is to be played on the 10th of October, women will be allowed to enter football stadiums. This is something very important. Since forty years this was not happening, with a couple of exceptions. But it is important to move to the next level and to the next stage with, of course, our thoughts to all the women of Iran, but also all the women around the world."

5. PEOPLE LISTENING

6. INFANTINO LEAVING PODIUM

7. NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS

STORY: FIFA has been "assured" by Iranian authorities that women will be able to attend the October World Cup qualifier in Tehran, Gianni Infantino, president of the body said on Sunday (September 22).

A female Iranian fan died earlier this month, after setting herself on fire to protest against her arrest for attending a match.

FIFA officials have been in Iran this week discussing preparations for the Oct. 10 World Cup qualifier against Cambodia, their first home game of the 2022 qualifying competition.

"We need to have women attending - we need to push for that with respect but in a strong and forceful way and we cannot wait anymore," Infantino told a FIFA conference on women's football in Milan, Italy.

"We have been assured, that as of the next international game of Iran, women will be allowed to enter football stadiums," he said.

"This is something very important, it is 40 years that this has not happened, with a couple of exceptions, but it is important to move to the next level and to the next stage," he added.

FIFA said on Saturday (September 21) it would be working with the Iranian Football Federation to develop plans for women to attend domestic matches in the Iranian League as well.

(Production: Gabriele Pileri, Oriana Boselli)