Iran accused of playing a man in goals in a women game
Zohreh Koudaei saved two penalties during the shootout victory in September, with Jordan’s FA now appealing to the AFC to carry out an independent investigation over the player’s eligibility
Koudaei was the goalkeeper during the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women’s Asian Cup Qualifiers Group G soccer match between Jordan and Iran at Bunyodkor Stadium in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on September 25, 2021. The Jordan Football Federation has submitted a complaint to AFC demanding that it verify the gender of one of the Iranian players who took part in the Women’s Asia Cup qualifier on September 25 against the Jordanian women’s national team.
Zohreh Joudaei was Iran’s hero, saving two penalties in the Women’s Asian Cup Qualifiers
Jordan has accused their fierce rivals, Iran of playing a man in a women’s international and demanded a ‘gender verification check’.
Iran qualified for their first-ever Women’s Asia Cup thanks to a thrilling 4-2 shoot-out victory over Jordan back in September.
The letter states that although it is not mandatory for participating players to go under such checks, the guidelines laid down by the AFC do reserve the right to “investigate and take appropriate measures if there is doubt on the eligibility of a participating player”.
It goes on to suggest that given “the Iranian Women Football team has a history with gender and doping issues” an independent investigation should be conducted.
Ali bin al-Hussein, president of the Jordan FA added: “It’s a very serious issue if true. Please wake up AFC.”
By: Elisha Aberiganya | Follow us on Twitter @activtvgh
