Sexist law prevents captain of Iranian women's football team from playing Asian Cup

The captain of the Iranian women's soccer team Niloufar Ardalan will miss the Asian Cup tournament because her husband has confiscated her passport in a domestic quarrel, according to reports.

The Iranian news website fararu.com reported Monday that the 30-year-old midfielder would miss the tournament as her husband didn't want her to travel abroad. Under Iranian law, husbands can stop their wives from traveling outside of the country.

On Tuesday, Ardalan posted a message on her Instagram account saying she wanted Iranian law changed to allow women to travel without their husband's consent. She wrote: "I am only a national soldier who fights to raise the flag of our country."

Ardalan is the captain of the Iranian national soccer team. The women's Asian Cup begins Thursday in Malayasia.