Sahar Khodayari, an Iranian football fan, killed herself after she was threatened with prison for trying to attend a men’s football match

Iran’s regime is resorting to arrests to quell furor over the self-immolation of Sahar Khodayari, the “Blue Girl” who killed herself because she expected imprisonment for trying to watch a football match.

Fars, linked to the Revolutionary Guards, said a warrant has been issued for Saba Kamali, a prominent movie and theater actor, after she published an Instagram post which authorities found “insulting”.

Kamali had rhetorically said Khodayari had suffered more ruthless treatment than Ali, Shia Islam’s third Imam, and his companionswhen they were killed in the 7th century.

The actor removed the post hours later, saying it was a personal and intimate dialogue with the third Imam that was misunderstood by a few “biased and bigoted individuals”.

Khodayari — dubbed “The Blue Girl” after the colors of her favorite club, Tehran’s Esteqlal — was arrested in March when she tried to attend a men’s football match in the Iranian capital, breaking the regime’s unwritten ban since 1980 on women entering stadiums.

She was released from detention. However, on September 1, as she tried to get her mobile phone, she was told that her case was not over and she might still go to prison. She poured gasoline on herself and ignited it, causing burns on 90% of her body.

Her death has galvanized national and international attention to the ban on women’s attendance. Several Iranian football clubs, including Esteqlal and its Tehran rival Persepolis, held a minute of silence before training.

Swedish stars Hedvig Lindahl and Kosovare Asllani called on the International Football Federation (FIFA) to end “gender apartheid” in Iran.

The Spanish club Barcelona expressed its sorrow and said, “Football is a game for everyone, men AND women, and everyone should be able to enjoy the beautiful game together in stadiums.”

FIFA has said it will send a delegation to Iran to discuss the issue. In a statement, the organization repeated “calls on the Iranian authorities to ensure the freedom and safety of any women engaged in this legitimate fight to end the stadium ban for women in Iran”.