In the lead-up to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar the manager of the Iran national team faced a dilemma; he threatened to resign if he wasn’t allowed to pick who he wanted to play without political interference.<br /> <br />But why would the Iranian regime want to have a say on who appears for the national football team?<br /> <br />James Montague explains what impact the treatment of women by Iran’s hated religious police has on football. Illustrated by Alice Devine.
