National women’s soccer team accused of fielding a man as a goalkeeper following penalty heroics
Jordan has asked the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to launch an investigation into the gender of an Iranian women’s soccer goalkeeper, despite Tehran’s denial of any wrongdoing.
Iran beat Jordan 4-2 on penalties after a goalless draw on September 25 to qualify for the first time in its history for the 2022 Women’s Asian Cup.
Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein, president of the Jordan Football Association, tweeted on Sunday a letter “requesting a gender verification check” on the Iranian player in question, implying that the keeper was a man posing as a woman.
Hussein described it as “a very serious issue, if true,” and called on the AFC to “please wake up.”
“The medical staff have carefully examined each player on the national team in terms of hormones to avoid any problems in this regard, and so I tell all fans not to worry,” Irandoost told sports news site Varzesh3 on Sunday.
No relevance to previous tweets but it’s a very serious issue if true. Please wake up @theafcdotcom pic.twitter.com/egk678CXCX
— Ali Al Hussein (@AliBinAlHussein) November 13, 2021
“We will provide any documentation that the Asian Confederation of Football wishes without wasting time.”
Iranian goalkeeper Zohreh Koudaei stopped two Jordanian goal attempts, resulting in Iran’s qualification.
The Jordan Football Association’s letter, dated November 5, expressed concerns about a participant’s “eligibility.”
It also claimed that the Iranian women’s team “has a history with gender and doping issues” and demanded “due process.”
Irandoost claimed the accusation was made to distract attention from Jordan’s death.
“These allegations are just an excuse not to accept the defeat against the Iranian women’s national team,” she said.
“The Jordanian team considered themselves the big favorite to qualify… and when they lost… it was natural to seek relief under false pretenses, and to escape responsibility for this failure.”
The AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2022 is set to begin in January in India.
Iranian men posing as women have previously plagued the female leagues. The Telegraph reported in 2014 that mandatory gender testing would be implemented after several players, including four members of the women’s national team, were discovered to be men who had not yet undergone sexual reassignment surgery.
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National women’s soccer team accused of fielding a man as a goalkeeper following penalty heroics
