FIFA Ruling Increases Inclusion of Girls and Women in Football

In March 2013, Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) announced its long-awaited decision allowing both male and female players to wear religious head coverings in international football competitions. This decision will give millions of Muslim girls and women around the world unprecedented access to play football.

The ban on head coverings in international football has prevented female players from participating in significant competitions worldwide. Most notably, in 2011 FIFA disqualified the Iranian women’s football team from competing in a pre-Olympic trial match because players wore headscarves. Muslim girls and women in other countries have been excluded from joining football teams because of their commitment to wearing the hijab.

Farrah Khan, a social worker and activist for the Canadian organization Right2Wear, explained that the ban on head coverings was, “a religious and feminist issue…keeping Muslim women on the sidelines is a form of oppression and is isolating to them.”

In 2012, Prince Ali bin Al Hussein of Jordan, vice-resident of FIFA for Asia, requested the board of the International Football Association Board (IFAB) lift the ban, allowing Muslim women to participate fully in the sport. He stated that “women’s football has come a long way…and the present situation is saying to women worldwide that you’re not allowed to participate for a reason that makes no sense. That’s prejudice. It’s not fair. It has to be dealt with. This is not an issue of religious symbolism, it is simply a case of cultural modesty, and I’m tackling this now because it is a big issue for many, many women all across the world.”

Head coverings were supposedly banned because they posed a risk of head and neck injury. Following criticism of this ban, FIFA and IFAB decided to allow certain, approved head coverings in international matches on a trial basis as of 2012. As of March 2014 the trial period has ended and the ban has been officially lifted. Now, Muslim females along with Sikh and Jewish males, who were previously prohibited from participating in international matches, will be allowed to play without discriminatory restrictions on their attire.

Farrah Khan responded to this development, stating “I’m ecstatic. This is a win for Muslim women and their allies. This sends a really clear message – let’s stop bullying Muslim women and get out of their wardrobes…It tells them they can have the dream of playing on a national level or playing for their country in the Olympics.”

This is a promising step in the fight for equal access to sports for women and girls. Many other circumstances beyond clothing continue to contribute to unequal access to participation in sports worldwide. In many countries, girls are prohibited from playing school sports due to their gender. In other areas of the world, limited resources and programs are dedicated specifically to sports for female players. Consequently, the FIFA and and IFAB ruling represents only one step in the ongoing fight by female athletes to gain gender equality.

Creative Commons Love: Julian Carvajal on Flickr.com

Written by Amanda Lubit