World Cup 2018: Dancing, drinking and support for women fans - tournament gives Iranians a chance to celebrate

'This has given me hope... that one day we have the World Cup in Iran. And that everyone will be able to watch it,' says one fan

A woman looks on nervously, clutching on to a plastic bag, as a group of 30 Iranian fans squeeze themselves onto the last metro car headed for St Petersburg’s football stadium.

The Iranians are breaking every rule of Russian metro etiquette. There is eye contact. There is grinning. A man with a foghorn. A woman with a cigar in her mouth. And a whole supporting cast, all chanting EE-RAN on loop.

But by the end of the journey, the woman watching the fans is on her feet, also grinning and filming the scenes on her mobile phone.

Iran’s colourful following has charmed St Petersburg ever since their recent arrival in town. On the eve of their own match with Morocco, they celebrated Russia’s unexpected thrashing of Saudi Arabia almost as much as the natives. Moving up and down the northern capital’s most famous street, Nevsky Prospect, the men and largely headscarf-free women danced, drank, and drank some more.

Such activities are, of course, forbidden by the mullahs back home. The very appearance of a woman at a football game is unlikely given they would be refused entry – let alone one not wearing a headscarf.

“I’d be whipped for appearing in public like this,” says Nazak, 25, who asked to be referred by her first name only. She takes a large gulp of the Russian lager on sale at the official fan zone, before continuing: “There is a whole secret, underground side to Iran that people don’t see, especially in Tehran, but it is better to wait until you are out of the country to really let your hair down.”

Ayatollah Khomaini famously said there was “no fun” in Islam. You wonder what he would make of St Petersburg, Russia’s most European and liberal outpost. On music, partying and personal and sexual freedoms, Russia’s northern capital has for centuries led the way.

But for the Iranian fans, the modern-day city was “fun”, “beautiful”, and, almost in chorus: “Nicer than we expected.” Several World Cup veterans praised the organisation in the city, saying small touches such as free transport and smiling helpers at passport control made a difference.

“The media talks about Russians in a such a negative way, but it seems they are misunderstood just like the Iranians,” said Vahid Salemi, 32, an exile who lives in Germany. “People, not to mention American presidents, always confuse the people of Iran with the regime. We’re not all Muslim, you know.”

Most of the already heavily-boozed fans in the fan zone seemed to agree. Payam, 40, insisted his beer drinking was a protest: “The government is more afraid of alcohol than it is drugs because the beer makes you talk, so this is my answer.”

At the stadium itself, where more of the Iranian women fans seemed to be wearing hijabs, some fans unfurled a banner protesting Iran’s ban on women attending matches back home.

A poster supporting Iranian women is displayed in the stands (Darko Vojinovic/AP)

The banner read “#NoBan4Women” and “Support Iranian Women to Attend Stadiums” and it was held aloft during the match.

However, not everyone was comfortable with such rebellion.

Elham, 39, from Tehran, who had travelled to Russia with her husband and daughter, said she disapproved of the behaviour of her compatriots: “I don’t think drinking is a good thing. Of course, many Iranians are drinking. But its a bad thing. A bad influence.”

She quickly makes her excuses and departed into the noisy crowds. “I have to go now, I’m very excited,” she says.

The match itself stopped some way short of the carnival atmosphere produced by both sets of fans. In the end, an injury-time own goal was enough to secure Iran’s second ever win in World Cup history. The result was harsh on the Moroccans, who had dominated proceedings. But the Iranians were delirious.

“This has given me hope,” said one fan. “Hope that one day we have the World Cup in Iran. And that everyone will be able to watch it, even the women.”