No head scarves in soccer: FIFA rules

[Sportsdude]

 

Manchester, England- Soccer's legislators have ruled that no player can wear a head scarf on the field. The International Football Association Board was asked at its annual meeting Saturday to adjudicate on a decision to ban an 11-year-old Muslim girl from playing in a tournament near Montreal last weekend because she was wearing a head scarf.[/p]  "If you play football there's a set of laws and rules, and law four outlines the basic equipment," said Brian Barwick, chief executive of the English Football Association, which is one of the IFAB members.[/p]  "It's absolutely right to be sensitive to people's thoughts and philosophies, but equally there has to be a set of laws that are adhered to, and we favour law four being adhered to."[/p]  Law four lists the items a player is entitled to wear and head scarves are not mentioned.[/p]  Goalkeepers are allowed to wear caps and protective headguards.[/p]  Asmahan Mansour was told to either remove her hijab or leave the field in an under-12 tournament near Montreal. [/p]  Quebec's soccer federation said the hijab violated a no-headgear rule set down by FIFA for safety reasons. [/p]  Valmie Ouellet, the co-ordinator of regional technical services for the Quebec Soccer Federation, said the referee was simply enforcing that regulation. [/p]  Mr. Ouellet said it's irrelevant that the game's referee happened to be Muslim, adding that a similar call would have been made if it applied to a different religious group. [/p]  Ontario's soccer association lets players wear religious headgear, while Quebec's rules are more vague. [/p]  Sandra Campbell, a spokeswoman for the Canadian Soccer Association, said FIFA's no headgear rule is up to referees to interpret. [/p]  Ms. Asmahan was allowed to play in two earlier games on the weekend because another referee didn't act on the rules.[/p]   Her team withdrew from and forfeited the rest of the games. [/p]   [/p][a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070303.wheadscarfban0303/BNStory/National/home"]http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070303.wheadscarfban0303/BNStory/National/home[/a]

[Sportsdude]

I hope people understand that this is more of a safety issue then a religious one.  The girl is wearing a head scarf, she is in danger of getting hurt while playing the game.  The last thing people want is somebody getting whip lash due to an accidental grab of the hijab.  The same reason why they have banned necklaces from sports.  Kids can get hurt.  

[weird al]

Realistically, I think it goes like this: if abiding by the rules of an organization requires you to violate your religious precepts, you have the freedom to live up to those precepts, and stay clear of that organization. Living up to your religion sometimes requires you to put up with certain inconveniences: martyrdom, various mutilations, feeling left out, not playing soccer, and so on down the line.  

[Queer Eye]

They should allow necklaces, headscarves etc by making the players (parents?) sign a waiver.  If you get hurt, too bad; if you hurt someone else, you're liable.

[Rhonda]

I concur with Queer Eye. Sign a waiver form if you want your son or daughter to play in the game but don't ban them. It's pretty extreme to ban someone for just wearing the hijab.

[P.C.]

There are many things that require a uniform.  I'm always mixed when children are involved, but I think if there is a code of dress required to be a part of something, then you have to work within those guidelines.  

  *I reserve the right to flip flop on my opinion.....but for now, that's what my gut says.

There are always activities that we all can't be a part of all the time for various reasons.

[49er]

I thought the religion forbids women to participate in physical sports

[Lise]

There are so many branches of Islam, not all are extreme. Kinda like Christians and the many branches, Protestants etc etc etc. Some are more lenient and permit girls to do most things so long as they don't compromise their faith and belief.

[Sportsdude]

yup I know that Lise.  

I just don't think this is about religion, its the safety of the girl in question.  I've seen guys play basketball and get there earings ripped out.  I've seen that happen to girls as well.  And the hijab might injure the poor girl.


I hope people don't try to turn this into a religion thing because if somebody was wearing a cross necklace I'd tell them to take it off because it could choke the person.
 

[Lise]

It's her safety. If she wants to risk it then so be it. Though I won't like it, I can see it from her point of view and I can respect her decision.

  On the other hand, I'm not sure about Sikhs carrying a dagger on their person wherever they go. Though the dagger is ceremonial, it is still a weapon. It's a really stick grey area.

[Sportsdude]

What would you do in this situation, Lise? I wouldn't know how to deal with it. I understand both sides of the arguement and then I understand this arguement: lets say I'm a father of a daughter and she plays against this girls team, she's wearing the hijab, my girl accidentally pulls on her scarf which throws her to the ground and sends her off to the hospital.  Now not only is the girl in the hijab hurt but my daughter is in tears for injuring a player.


I think the mother of this girl has to see both sides.  Her daughter wearing the hijab puts not only her daughter at risk but other girls as well.  
 

[49er]

Is it the Silks who wear the turbans?  Do they play soccer without taking them off?

[Russ]

Yes, the sikhs play soccer in their turbans. they also can wear them in the military instead of typical headdress and do not have to remove them in no headwear areas.

  They are allowed to wear daggers around including at school.. but the trade off is that if they do they must wear them under the cloak so as to now have it showing for everyone.

[Marik]

I referee soccer, and I was told that you're allowed to let players wear a turban ... no need to force them to take it off. It's a bit of a grey area though. Some refs won't allow it, some do.

There was this one time, a player's turban came off, and the player just sat still there. A lot of people were getting impatient, but the coach or his parents were saying "no no, don't touch it! get away from him!"  So we had to wait for some special dude from the mosque or wherever to put it on again.
(I wasn't reffing this game)

 

[Queer Eye]

The problem is that the kids are innocent since it's the parents who force their religious beliefs until the kids are old enough to rebel (should they desire to do so).  Once kids get into their teens, only the serious ones continue to play and the rest just quit.  The kid in question is an 11 year old.  How many 11 year olds will still be playing a few years from now?