Iran Removed from Tournament after FIFA Uphold Headscarve Ban

Iran have been thrown out of the first-ever summer Youth Olympic Games which are to be held in Singapore this October. Some 3,600 athletes, ages 14 to 18, will compete in 26 sports. Iran’s girls’ squad was to be among the six teams competing in the girls’ soccer competition. However, the Iranian’s football association’s insistence that its girls’ team will wear an Islamic headscarf, known as the hijab, contravenes FIFA regulations.

Section 4 of the international rule book regarding player’s on-field equipment that states, “basic compulsory equipment must not have any political, religious or personal statements.”

In addition, their regulations also state:

“The team of a player whose basic compulsory equipment has political, religious or personal slogans or statements will be sanctioned by the competition organizer or by FIFA.”

Iran’s National Olympic Committee had asked FIFA and the International Olympic Committee to review and overturn the ban on the hijab as it pertains to the Islamic dress code. FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke rejected the request in a letter to the Iranian National Football Federation.

“Taking into consideration the clear position stated by the [Olympic Committee] of Iran, the FIFA Executive Committee had no choice but to take the decision that [Iran] will not be able to participate,” Valcke said.

On Monday, the Asian Football Confederation announced that Thailand would replace Iran in representing Asia in the competition. The other five nations competing in the girls soccer tournament are Turkey, Equatorial Guinea, Trinidad and Tobago, Chile, and Papua New Guinea.

The Islamic hijab became compulsory for Iranian girls and women after the 1979 Islamic  revolution. Many Iranian women believe that enforced wearing of the hijab is a violation of their rights and they should be free to dress as they please.

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