An Iranian woman set herself on fire outside the Tehran courthouse she was being tried in for illegally attending a football match disguised as a man.

The woman, known only as Sahar, 29, was taken to Motahari Hospital and is in intensive care with burns covering 90 per cent of her body.

She was arrested in March for allegedly trying to enter Tehran stadium dressed as a man and resisting arrest.

The woman, known only as Sahar, 29, was taken to Motahari Hospital and is in intensive care with burns covering 90 per cent of her body. Pictured are women attending the only football match they have been allowed to go to in Iran since 1979

After she was told she could face up to six months in prison, Sahar set herself on fire with gasoline as she left the courthouse (pictured) on Sunday

She was subsequently charged with 'insulting the public by defying the dress code for women'.

After she was told she could face up to six months in prison, Sahar set herself on fire with gasoline as she left the courthouse on Sunday.

Her sister, who was not identified, said Sahar had bipolar disorder and had been receiving treatment for two years, according to the Times of Israel.

Since 1979 and the Iranian Revolution the country's Islamic government has banned women from attending sporting events.

Her sister, who was not identified, said Sahar had bipolar disorder and had been receiving treatment for two years, according to the Times of Israel. Pictured is a banner supporting Iranian women's rights at a football match in St Petersburg stadium in Russia

Women's rights activists in the country have been campaigning to have this reversed for years and were recently allowed to attend volleyball matches if accompanied by their husband.

An exception was also made last November when women were allowed to attend the Asian Champions League final at Azadi Stadium in Tehran.

However, they were seated separately from the men.

FIFA has campaigned for women in Iran to be allowed to attend football matches.

Women's rights activists in the country have been campaigning to have this reversed for years and were recently allowed to attend volleyball matches if accompanied by their husband. Pictured are Iran fans in St Petersburg holding a sign calling for Iranian women to be let into sports stadiums

Their council released a statement saying: 'The promotion of gender equality is a priority for FIFA, as per the statutes, and we remain fully cognisant of this, particularly during the FIFA Women’s World Cup.'

In August another woman, award-winning photojournalist Forough Alaei, was arrested in Iran for sneaking into a football game.

Alaei won the World Press Photo award this year for her work showing passionate women attempting to watch live football matches in Iran.

One of her pictures shows a woman wearing a fake beard and another shows a woman watching a match in Tehran surrounded by male supporters.