"Eight Men Have Been Playing For Iran’s Female National Team"

It has been claimed by an Iranian league official that eight of the country’s female national football team are actually male. The Iranian FA has been branded ‘unethical’, after it was alleged the players were actually men awaiting sex change operations. Sporting authorities have reportedly ordered gender testing on Wednesday following the claims, made by a man named Mojtabi Sharifi. He told an Iranian news website: "Eight players have been playing with Iran’s female team without completing sex change operations." Female football is surprisingly popular in Iran, with the national team wearing hijab headscarfs, long-sleeved jerseys and tracksuit bottoms to play the game. Sharifi didn’t actually name any of the players who are allegedly male, but did say some had spent their entire careers playing for the women’s team, only to disclose their true gender on their last day in the squad. Doubts began to surface over the legitimacy of some of the players in 2010, when the gender of a goalkeeper in the squad was questioned.