The women's soccer team in Jordan has demanded that an Iranian goalkeeper undergo a "gender verification check" after she saved two penalties in a match earlier this year, Insider reports.
In September, Iran played Jordan in a qualification match for the 2022 Women's Asian Cup, which saw Iranian goalkeeper Zohreh Koudaei save two penalties during a shootout.
As a result of the impressive saves, Iran won the game 4-2 on penalties following a match draw, with neither side having scored a goal.
However, now Iran's opponents are calling into question Koudaei's eligibility to compete in a women's tournament.
The game in question took place on September 25, and it was six weeks later, on November 5, that Jordan's team submitted a formal complaint.
The president of the country's FA, Prince Ali bin al-Hussein, recently took to Twitter to share a letter from the country's general secretary Samar Nassar to the general secretary of the Asian Football Confederation Dato' Windsor John requesting an investigation into the matter.
In the letter, Nassar said:
"Considering the evidence submitted by JFA (Jordan Football Association) and given the importance of this competition, we request the AFC to initiate a transparent and clear investigation by a panel of independent medical experts to investigate the eligibility of the payer in question and others on this team, particularly that the Iranian Women Football team has a history with gender and doping issues."
Also in the tweet, Bin al-Hussein urged the Asian Football Confederation to "wake up."
Al-Hussein states in his letter: "We duly acknowledge article 47 of the AFC Women's Asian Cup India 2022 Competition Regulations and understand that gender verification is not mandatory for participating players.
"However, the article reserves the right for AFC to investigate and take appropriate measures if there is doubt on the eligibility of a participating player."
It appears that Jordan's team has not submitted any evidence to corroborate their beliefs that that Koudaei was assigned male at birth.
Per Saudi broadcaster Al Arabiya, Koudaei has previously had her gender called into question but denies claims that she was born into a different body from that of her teammates and opponents.
The Iranian's team manager Maryam Irandoost has also dismissed the claims and argued that Jordan simply feels aggrieved at having lost the game.
Irandoost told the sports news site Varzesh 3: "The medical staff have carefully examined each player on the national team in terms of hormones to avoid any problems in this regard, and so I tell all fans not to worry.
"These allegations are just an excuse not to accept the defeat against the Iranian women's national team.
"The Jordanian team considered themselves the big favorite to qualify and when they lost it was natural to seek relief under false pretenses and to escape responsibility for this failure.
"We will provide any documentation that the Asian Football Confederation wishes without wasting time."
Zohreh Koudaei has since broken her silence, slamming the Jordanian FA for accusing her of being a man.
Koudaei though has vigorously denied the claims from al-Hussein and spoke with Turkish outlet Hurriyet, stating she will now be taking legal action against the Jordan FA.
She said: "I am a woman. This is bullying from Jordan. I will sue the Jordan FA."
A spokesman of the AFC said: "The AFC does not comment on ongoing investigations and/or proceedings, whether actual or potential."