The French Football Federation will not authorize headscarves

News Agencies – July 7, 2012

 

The French Football Federation (FFF) said that it would “not authorise players to wear a veil” while playing for France or in organised competitions, a day after world footballing authorities said the hijab could be worn on the pitch.

The FFF’s announcement came after a French MP had urged the government earlier yesterday to ban the Islamic headscarf for women soccer players. The International Football Association Board (IFAB), custodians of the rules of football, overturned its 2007 ban on the Islamic headscarf, a garment it had argued was unsafe and increased the risk of neck injuries. Critics said the ban promoted inequality at the highest level of the world’s most popular game.

French lawmaker Gerald Darmanin wrote to Sports Minister Valerie Fourneyron asking that Paris denounce the U-turn “in the name of universal and republican values”.

Share Button

Sources