For many years, Iranian Mahsa Ghorbani, a pioneering referee in women’s football, stood firm in the face of social and governmental restrictions, until she was unable to do so and left her homeland for Sweden in December.

Born in 1989, Ghorbani’s first experience as an Asian football referee was in U-14 tournaments. In 2017, she was recognized by FIFA as an elite international referee.

In July, she made sporting history as the first Iranian woman to officiate an international soccer match when she officiated a CAFA U-20 Championship match between Tajikistan and Afghanistan in the Kyrgyz city of Jalalabad.

Ghorbani previously refereed the Women’s Asian Cup and 2023 Women’s World Cup finals, as well as men’s matches in the Maldives’ second division.

However, things turned against Ghorbani when she was appointed as Video Assistant Referee (VAR) to monitor a men’s match between Tehran’s two biggest teams, Esteghlal and Persepolis, which was played on 13 March 2024.

In the days leading up to the high-profile Tehran derby, she faced widespread official opposition in Iran and her name was removed from the list of referees by the Iranian Football Federation just 48 hours before the match, despite support from FIFA. The official governing body of world football.

After facing death threats, insinuations of staged car accidents and acid attacks, and repeated interrogations by FIFA, Ghorbani made the momentous decision to leave Iran.

In a phone call with the Iranian Football Federation’s communications and public relations officer, the federation was given the opportunity to comment on Ghorbani’s specific allegations of mistreatment. The Al Jazeera correspondent was told that Al-Ittihad had no comment and that it should not call again.

In this interview, Ghorbani speaks candidly about her love of football, her anger at the injustices she faced as a football referee in Iran, and her hope for a brighter future.

Al Jazeera: Mahsa, why did you decide to immigrate to Sweden?

Mahsa Ghorbani: I reached a stage in refereeing where I was one step away from the 2022 World Cup, but the Iranian Football Federation sacked me under pressure from others. [internal] Institutions. After the World Cup, there was the Tehran derby incident. They turned officiating a football match into a death threat. They are afraid to give women room to grow.

They once said: “Today, you’re officiating in the VAR room, tomorrow you want to referee on the bench, and the next day, you want to be the main referee on the field!” I’ve always wanted to survive and succeed [as a referee] Under the name Iran, but I reached a point where I faced death threats and realized that there was no longer room for even one step forward.

Al Jazeera: What threats did you face and from whom?

Mahsa Ghorbani: A few days before [Tehran derby] During the match, the officials tried to find any justification to bring me to the Football Association. When I went there [to the IFF]They turned off my phone and took it. They also said my bag would stay outside the room.

When I entered the room, there were two security representatives and several union officials present, and they had closed the door.

At first they politely asked me to withdraw from officiating the match. Then they asked me to write a letter saying that I was not mentally and psychologically fit to officiate this match. Finally, they asked me to sit in front of the camera and say that I was too sick to do it.

Al Jazeera: Why did the Iranian Football Federation ask you to do this?

Mahsa Ghorbani: they [IFF’s] The problem was not with the media or the people of Iran. They just wanted to submit a document to FIFA to prevent political interference in sports. I did not comply with their demands. But I later learned that a letter – neither written nor signed by me – had been sent by the Federation to FIFA stating that I, Mahsa Ghorbani, was, due to my severe illness, unfit to officiate the Tehran Derby.

Al Jazeera: What happened when you refused to write this letter?

Mahsa Ghorbani: they [the IFF] I started using my international match clothes as an excuse. They asked me to admit in writing that I was not wearing the appropriate uniform.

Basically, they wanted me to say I “stripped naked” and intentionally exposed myself. They even threatened me. They said: If you leave this door, they will kill you, for example, in a planned accident, so it is better to cooperate.

They threatened me several times with acid attacks. But my response was always the same: “I would rather die than live without dignity.”

Al Jazeera: What do you wear to international matches?

Mahsa Ghorbani: In most matches, I appeared without a hijab, and despite the pressure, I often said “no” to the mandatory hijab in the Islamic Republic of Iran, which meant that I wore the same approved referee uniform as all referees.

However, when the pressure increased and for the comfort of my family, I wore beige support socks and hats for some matches.

Al Jazeera: Why did you not adhere to the approved uniform of the Iranian Football Federation? Like other rulers in Iran?

Mahsa Ghorbani: At the time, I felt that this was a step toward freedom for Iranian women and progress toward equality.

In these years, I always had mixed feelings. Even now, as I tell you these events, I feel a mixture of happiness and sadness.

On the one hand, I smile because I was able to fight back; But on the other hand, I feel sad that we have to fight for the most basic rights that other girls around the world have.

Al Jazeera: One of your dreams was to participate in the Men’s World Cup. Are you still? Striving to achieve this goal?

Mahsa Ghorbani: Participating in the World Cup and international tournaments has always been one of my main goals, and I am still striving to achieve that. I will continue on this path with more motivation.

I always told those around me that one day, in a major tournament, in an important match, I would enter the field without the mandatory hijab and represent the women of Iran.

I will spare no effort until I reach this goal. It is important for me not only to raise my name, but also to represent Iran proudly on the international stage. Every time I think about this, my heart beats faster with excitement because I want to have a place in the hearts of my people.

This article is published in collaboration with For example.