In a shocking display of misogyny at it’s highest, Iran’s state-run television is not broadcasting the DFL Supercup simply because a female referee was officiating the fixture.
The game which was being officiated by Bibiana Steinhaus saw plenty of drama both on and off the pitch. And while the game did end up in the favor of Bayern by a margin of 3-2, it wasn’t before the UCL champions were given a major scare by Borrusia Dortmund.
Coincidentally this was also Bibiana Steinhaus’s final refereeing endeavor, who at 41 leaves as a legend of the game. But the entire occasion was marred by a viral tweet by Iran News Wire.
Iran’s footballing plight-A tale of misogyny:
Iran despite being an Asian footballing powerhouse has for long been infamous for its medieval laws when it comes to the fairer sex.
Even in the footballing fraternity women have long been held from being able to attend matches in Iran. The prevalent practice had expectedly come under heavy scrutiny during the 2018 FIFA WC, with protests prevalent in major areas of the country to allow women to be a part of the beautiful game.
Following the protests, FIFA itself had stepped in with FIFA president Giani Infantino himself being assured by the Iranian government that “women will be allowed to enter football stadiums.”
#Iran's state-run TV will not be broadcasting today's DFL-Supercup finals as planned because German referee Bibiana Steinhaus, will referee the game.
That's how mysoginist the regime is. pic.twitter.com/oTrgJxaN3J
— Iran News Wire (@IranNW) September 30, 2020
However, it now seems that the entire promise made by the Iranian government was more of a farce than an actual attempt to remedy its ways.
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In a behavior highlighting the height of misogyny, the DFL Supercup which took place yesterday had it’s broadcast canceled by the Iranian state-run television at the last minute.
On further inquiry, it became clear that the reason for the cancellation was Bibiana Steinhaus, who was overseeing the fixture.
This is not the first time that Iran has canceled the broadcast of a Bundesliga fixture because of Steinhaus.
🇮🇷 According to Bild, Iranian broadcasters canceled the Augsburg vs Bayern game because the match referee Bibiana Steinhaus was female…
Surely this can't be happening in 2019 🤦♂️ pic.twitter.com/y4wNfQmAZo
— ODDSbible (@ODDSbible) February 17, 2019
The fixture became even more important to the footballing fraternity because it was Steinhaus’s final match as a referee, who is now taking a hiatus from the sport to focus on her personal life.
Steinhaus who has been at the forefront of breaking barriers in football, has been officiating in the Bundesliga for the past 2 years and has grown to be among the most respected of referees around the world. This was also the first time a woman was officiating the German super cup and in her last match, as in her entire career, she once again broke the barriers.
#Bibiana #Steinhaus to #Become #First #Woman to #Referee a #Bundesliga game https://t.co/hAF5N6NGz3 pic.twitter.com/VlEIhMbtLP
— NewsVideos (@newsinvideos) September 10, 2017
“At the end of the day, it’s the performance that counts,” Steinhaus told DW in 2017. “And the person who has the best performance should be allowed to be on the pitch, regardless of gender, hair color, or religion. That’s all that counts.”
This perfectly sums up her attitude about the game and also comes as a fitting reply to Iranian Television’s decision to not broadcast the fixture.
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