According to Ahlul Bayt (A) News Agency – ABNA.ir – football was a beautiful game that connects people into a global village. Unfortunately, football has been tarnished by racism, sexism and politics — which should not be part of such a magnificent sport. Golf, rugby and boxing associations have no problem with the headscarf — it is only the International Federation of Association Football (Fifa) that resists lifting the ban on women wearing it.
There are differences between girls’ football in the East and the West. In the eastern part of the world, not many girls play sports in general because of the lack of interest. Thus, the number of girls who are interested is quite low and yet their voices are not heard. Fifa’s ruling, made public in April, was that the hijab, or headscarf, which the Iranian players wear, contravenes players’ on-field equipment rules. According to its laws, a player’s “equipment must not have any political, religious or personal statements”. I would like to know what Fifa meant — it could not possibly suggest that the headscarf is harmful or makes a negative impact. Several top football players have tattoos of religious symbols all over their bodies and Fifa does not say anything about that.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) allows Sikh cricket players to wear the turban, part of their religion, during cricket matches without any objection. Yet, Fifa will not allow Muslim women to wear the headscarf during football games because it is a religious item. Afifa Sa’ad, an Australian player who wears the hijab, said, “Big bodies like Fifa shouldn’t be discouraging females from playing. Considering it’s a universal game, it’s played worldwide, what message are they sending?” I could not agree more. The body reversed the ban on the Iranian women’s football team when it agreed its players would wear hats instead of headscarves. As a girl who wears the headscarf and plays football, I say that wearing a hat is much more inconvenient.
Fifa’s position in banning women from wearing headscarves during football games has evolved into a more complex issue. The association should focus on other important issues rather than troubling innocent girls who are merely enjoying their time playing a popular game. The only difference between these players and any others is that they wear a headscarf, which does not affect their level of performance during the game, and it certainly should not become a bigger issue.
By Sara Al Boom, A University Student Studying in Sharjah
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