Updated on
Summary United Nations has asked FIFA to permit Muslim women to wear headscarf while playing.
World footballs governing body, FIFA, has been urged by the United Nations to permit Islamic women to wear a specially-designed hijab headscarf while playing the sport.Wilfried Lemke, a special adviser on sport to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, wrote to FIFA president Sepp Blatter, expressing his support for the initiative put forth by the Asian Football Confederation for players to have the right to wear a safe, Velcro-opening headscarf in FIFA-regulated matches and competitions.AFC chief Zhang Jilong had called for the ban on headscarves to be lifted at the end of January, claiming new designs could prevent neck injuries.Lemke said that a change in legislation ...would remove a barrier that can deter women and girls from participating in football [...] and would set a positive example.He continued: It would send the message that each female player, from the top elite level down to the grassroots, has the freedom to decide whether or not to wear this particular piece of attire while on the field.It would give the opportunity for remarkable female athletes to demonstrate that wearing the headscarf is not an obstacle to excelling in life and sports, and would hence contribute to challenging gender stereotypes and bringing about a change in mentalities, added Lemke.The hijab was banned by FIFA in 2007 on the grounds of safety, but both Zhang and Lemke argue that new designs eliminate the potential risk of a serious injury.I have personally seen the new designs with a velcro joined at the neck which releases if the headscarf is pulled, ensuring the players safety, said Zhang.The International Football Association Board, footballs top law-making body, is scheduled to meet on Saturday in England to discuss the proposal as part of its 126th Annual Meeting.
