Fereshteh Karimi , the girl from Nazi Abad of Tehran is a unique sample of Iranian woman who have excelled under the most awkward of conditions. Born on 6 Feb 1989 , Karimi has just lifted the Inaugral AFC Women’s Futsal Championship 2015 and also picked up the tournament’s Most Valuable Player

Fereshteh Karimi attributed her accolade to the teamwork that Iran displayed while beating Japan in the competition’s final on Saturday. The 26-year-old scored six goals in the campaign but undoubtedly her most important was the one she notched in the final, a strike which proved enough to hand Forouzan Soleimani’s side the title.

[pullquote align=”right”]“I’m very happy that we have become champions and I’d like to dedicate this win to the whole of Iran back home.” [/pullquote]

“I and my teammates played from the depths of our hearts in this game and there was a great challenge from our opponents Japan, so this win is even the more meaningful for us.

“But this award and win are not just because of me, but it was the great team effort that the other players consistently showed that made it possible and I’m thankful for them also for this recognition.”

Fereshteh who plays for Persepolis has played 15 times for Team Melli Women futsal team scoring 9 goals in the process. No doubt that final goal against Japan in the final was her most valuable and memorable. She has been selected as one of the 11 best women futsal players by the famous futsalplanet website.

Her undeniable skill has attracted interest from Polish and Russian futsal teams. Fereshteh had to turn down such offer for social reasons, the hijab being the Achilles heel of her possible career in Europe.
Speaking of Hijab, Fereshteh Karimi was playing football with Iran Women National team. She and her teammates were ready to play against Jordan in the 2014 Olympics games qualifiers. However, the team were denied from competing because hijab was deemed unacceptable. Fereshteh and her teammates were so shocked by this act of injustice , she broke down crying while the rest of the team followed. Their plight was so touching , the opponents, the Jordanian women , broke down joined the iranian girls crying.

Fereshteh need not worry much about her hijab anymore as FIFA has permitted the competition with the head covers and the road is open for her and her teammates to bring glory to Iran.