‘Is she a man?’ Jordan wants goalkeeper of Iranian women football team examined

Jordan has urged the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to start a probe to determine the sex of the Iranian women’s football team goalkeeper Zohreh Koudaei.

Jordan Football Association president, Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein, had tweeted on Sunday a letter ‘requesting a gender verification check’ of the Koudaei.

Stating that the goalkeeper was a man posing as a woman, Hussein described it as “a very serious issue if true”. He also urged the AFC to “please wake up”.

However, the Iran team’s selector, Maryam Irandoost, has refuted the allegation.

“The medical staff has carefully examined each player on the national team in terms of hormones to avoid any problems in this regard, and so I tell all fans not to worry. We will provide any documentation that the Asian Confederation of Football wishes without wasting time,” Irandoost was quoted as having said by a news agency.

The 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup is set to kick off in India in January. Iran had beaten Jordan 4-2 on penalties after a goalless draw on September 25 to qualify for the 2022 Women’s Asian Cup for the first time.

The allegations have made headlines in both Iran and Jordan. Several reports have suggested that Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein was ‘crying for foul play’ because his team lost to Iran.