Women in Iran are being banned from watching live public screenings of Euro 2012 soccer games because of an "inappropriate" environment where men could become rowdy, a police commander said, according to AFP.
"It is an inappropriate situation when men and women watch football in (movie) theaters together," ISNA news agency quoted Bahman Kargar, Iran's deputy police commander in charge of social affairs.
"Men, while watching football, get excited and sometimes utter vulgar curses or tell dirty jokes," he said. "It is not within the dignity of women to watch football with men. Women should thank the police for the ban."
The Euro 2012 games underway in Poland and Ukraine are being aired on state television in Iran. They are also being shown in movie theaters as a continuation of a practice that became popular for couples and families during the 2010 World Cup and the 2011 AFC Asian Cup.
