Debates are fun. Iran women's national team captain Niloufar Ardalan sparked a debate when it was revealed she would not participate for Iran in the Asian Cup because her husband had confiscated her passport.
Her passport was confiscated (yes, husbands are really allowed to do that in Iran) because of a domestic dispute, allegedly because the tournament would interfere with the couple's son's first day of school.
This has, obviously, sparked outrage from women's right activists and Iran doesn't care one little bit. Honestly, there are likely way worse things happening in Iran than missing a soccer match, but this is representative of a deeply ingrained culture of subjugating women. What's even more representative of that is Ardalan's response to the incident.
Ardalan said foreign media had overblown the incident.
''I am only a national soldier who fights to raise flag of our country,'' she wrote in an Instagram post. ''I wish a law would be approved that allows female soldiers to fight for raising the flag.''
(H/T FOX Soccer)
Contact The18 Staff Writer Sam Klomhaus at Klomhaus@The18.com or follow him on Twitter @SamKlomhaus
