Four players on Iran’s women’s national team found guilty of being men
February 13th, 2014
by Thomas Hautmann

Forget random drug testing.

Female soccer players in Iran will now have to undergo mandatory, random gender testing after several top players — including four from the women’s national team — were found guilty of being men.

Medical examiners will now turn up unannounced at training sessions of teams playing in Iran’s Women’s’ Premier League and indoor league on the lookout for possible Juwanna Manns. Clubs will also be forced to carry out medical examinations on all new players before signing them to contracts, according to Ahmad Hashemian, head of the Iranian football federation’s medical committee.

From The Telegraph:

"Those unable to prove they are female would be barred from taking part in the women’s leagues until they underwent medical treatment," said Hashemian.

"If these people can solve their problems through surgery and be in a position to receive the necessary medical qualifications, they will then be able to participate in [women’s] football," Hashemian, a qualified doctor, said in remarks quoted by IRNA, the state news agency.

According to the IRNA, seven players have already had their contracts terminated under the federation’s gender test directive.

While pre-marital sex and homosexuality remain strict taboos in Iran, sex change operations have been legal in the country since 1979, when the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a religious ruling saying they were acceptable.

Firenze wrote:

Firenze wrote: