Saudi Female Soccer Fan Attends Match, Men Are Outraged

A Saudi female soccer fan, who “dared” to attend a match, is making headlines for all the wrong reasons after men became outraged. The scene unfolded as the woman, dressed in the traditional black garb — which covered every part of her body, except the eyes — came out to the stadium to support a Saudi soccer team and was spotted in a video.

The simple act of going to watch the soccer match landed the female fan in hot water on social media. Some men in Saudi Arabia verbally attacked her for putting herself at risk of being harassed in comments left on YouTube.

The incident took place last week, when Saudi Arabia’s team Al Hilal faced the United Arab Emirates’s (UAE) Al Ain in the Asian Champions League semifinal match, which the Saudis lost 2-1. In a video posted to YouTube — which now has almost 400,000 views — the camera follows the match, when it focuses on the stands to show the female fan attending the soccer match.

Apparently, this doesn’t sit well with many men in Saudi Arabia, where women are forbidden from soccer games. However, this particular match was played in the UAE, which has a more permissive law and allows females to join the men at a stadium.

By the tone of the comments, it is plain to see how men view the fact that this woman was simply trying to have some fun going to support her soccer team. The image has caused a barrage of angry comments directed at the woman.

More than 900 angry comments have been posted on the video, and thanks to BBC News, we can share just a sample of what Saudi men are saying about this female soccer fan.

“Women aren’t interested in football, so why go to a stadium to watch a live match?” reads one comment.

“Does this woman not have a man? Her place is in the house,” criticizes another.

Many males are opposed to women being in a stadium because they say it encourages “immoral and sinful behavior,” and can lead to harassment.

According to Lina Al Maena, a former Saudi athlete and advocate for girls in sports in her country, things are better than they used to be, but work needs to be done.

“Women are harassed whether in malls or on the streets, so I don’t understand why stadia would be any different. Why should I be punished for a man’s actions?”

“There’s a lot more acceptance of women’s involvement in sports today than there used to be a decade ago.”

Earlier this year, the debate about whether to allow women to attend soccer matches in Saudi Arabia was ignited, when a group of female Congressional staffers from the U.S. requested to come to Riyadh stadium to witness a match between two local teams. After much negotiation, the women were able to attend.

“The move was aimed at impressing the Americans with the Kingdom’s advanced sports facilities,” a Saudi official said at the time, according to the Jeddah-based Arab News.

Strict Saudi laws don’t afford many rights to women — who are not allowed to drive or attend soccer matches, and are forced to cover their entire bodies when walking out in public — for which they have been steadily criticized by human rights groups. According to reports in Saudi media, the government is considering building a separate section so female fans can attend soccer matches.

What do you think of Saudi men’s reactions to the female soccer fan for attending the match?

[Image via Shutterstock]