A billboard in Iran which supported the nation’s World Cup team has been replaced after it was criticised for not featuring any women.

The previous billboard, in Tehran, showed men of different ethnicitiescelebrating around a trophy.

It has been replaced with a different design in which several women are visible standing side-by-side with men.

A line next to the image reads in Persian: “Together we are champions: one nation, one heartbeat.”

The original billboard caused uproar, with the front page of the Qanun newspaper carrying an image with the caption ‘We lose without women’.

Social media users in Iran criticised what they saw as implied gender discrimination by excluding women from the picture.

Since the Iranian revolution of 1979, women have not been allowed inside sporting venues.

In April, several women disguised themselves as men so they could watch their team, Persepolis, play rivals Sepidrood at the Azadi stadium in Tehran.

The authorities have cancelled a plan to allow women to watch the national team’s World Cup matches on a big screen in Tehran’s Azadi Stadium.

The Iranian females athletes have won many medals in different sports including Asian & Olympics Games. The latest achievement was the Iran female futsal team which won the continental crown after beating japan in the final.