 "Representational image. Getty")
The English Football Association (FA) issued an apology to Iqra Ismail, a Muslim women’s football player, after she was prohibited from playing following her refusal to wear shorts owing to her religious beliefs. During a Greater London Women’s Football League match against Tower Hamlets, Ismail, playing for United Dragons, was denied an opportunity to come on as a half-time substitute by the referee.
Ismail said she had been playing by wearing tracksuits for almost half a decade. “The Greater London Women’s Football League have stopped me from playing because of my religious beliefs, because I refused to wear shorts with my playing kit.
“I have been playing in this league for almost five years now, wearing tracksuit bottoms, and every year they have made it more and more difficult for women like me to play," she said in a video that was shared on social media.
“This year they have drawn the line and banned me from playing until I compromise my beliefs. The Middlesex FA referee for yesterday’s [Sunday’s] game said that the league had told him strictly not to allow women like me to wear tracksuit bottoms, regardless of the colour or whether it was matching our kit or not," she added.
An English FA spokesperson said that the board was working with the county football associations in order to resolve the matter in quick time. “We are aware of this matter and we are in contact with Middlesex FA to ensure that it is quickly resolved.
“We proactively wrote to all county FAs and match officials across the women’s grassroots game earlier this year to confirm that women and girls should be allowed to wear clothing that ensures their faith or religious beliefs are not compromised. We remain deeply committed to ensuring that English football is an inclusive and welcoming environment for everybody," the FA was quoted as saying by Sky Sports News.
A spokesperson for the Middlesex FA had also made a similar statement. “We are aware of this matter and we are in contact with The FA and the League concerned to ensure that it is quickly resolved. Guidance from the FA was issued to all County FAs and match officials across the women’s grassroots game earlier this year to confirm that women and girls should be allowed to wear clothing that ensures their faith or religious beliefs are not compromised.
“We are working with all our stakeholders to ensure they can apply this guidance effectively and remain deeply committed to ensuring that English football is an inclusive and welcoming environment for everybody,” the Middlesex FA told Sky Sports News.