headscarves.
FIFA says that violates a long-standing rule that bars any equipment from the field that makes a religious statement.
Iran qualified to participate in the inaugural Youth Olympic Games to be held August 12-25 in Singapore. But on Monday FIFA formally dumped Iran and replaced it in the competition with Thailand.
FIFA last week wrote Iran saying it could not participate in a FIFA-sponsored event with players in headscarves because they violate a long-standing rule of FIFA (Federation Inter-nationale de Football Association).
The Mehr news agency reported that Ali Kafashian, president of the Iran Football Federation, wrote back to FIFA, which is based in Zurich, to ask it to reconsider its decision. He pointed out that due to Iran’s dress code the Iranian team would be unable to participate if the ban on headscarves remained. He said the headscarves were a religious requirement and FIFA should therefore allow them.
In a written response, FIFA General Secretary Jerome Valcke said, “Taking into consideration the clear position stated by the NOC [National Olympic Committee] of Iran, the FIFA executive Committee had no choice but to take the decision that the Iran Football Federation will not be allowed to participate.”
FIFA pointed to its Law 4 on equipment, which says, “Basic compulsory equipment must not have any political, religious or personal statements.”
The hejab issue is not new. It was brought to FIFA’s attention in 2007 when an 11-year-old girl in Quebec was barred from a game when she arrived with a headscarf. FIFA’s rule-making board then reviewed the issue and voted not to make any exemption for hejab.
Bahram Afsharzadeh, secretary general of Iran’s National Olympic Committee, objected that FIFA’s position violates the rights of Muslims and disregards “issues such as nationality, religion and race.” Furthermore, he said, the decision “places obstacles in the way of women’s progress.”
Farideh Shojai, the vice president of the women’s department of the Iranian Football Federation, said FIFA had previously allowed the Iranian women’s team to play with headscarves, presumably a reference to the elimination round of games prior to the Singapore event. She complained that FIFA had only changed its position in its letter Monday. That ignored the well-publicized rule-making decision of three years ago. The Iranian women’s team did, however, play its earlier matches in hejab, presumably because the referee didn’t know Law 4.
FIFA Law 4 was also violated last year when several Iranian players participating in an Asian World Cup elimination match wore green wristbands to show their support for the opposition in the post-election protests. The referee took no action during the game and FIFA took no action afterward.
Altogether, teams from about 170 countries are expected to participate in the first youth Olympics, which are for ages 14 to 18. In women’s soccer, Thailand will now represent Asia and face Turkey, Equatorial Guinea, Trinidad, Chile and Papua New Guinea.