UK FOOTBALL Authorities are divided about whether Muslim women can observe their religion and play football in the UK at the same time – even if you did used to be the captain of the Somali women’s team.

The row came to light when Iqra Ismail ran on to the pitch to play her first match for United Dragons FC. Iqra has been playing football in the Greater London Women’s Football League (GLWFL) for nearly five years. She has always worn a sports hijab, a long-sleeved top under her team shirt, and… tracksuit trousers. Although United Dragons was a new team for Iqra, it was not a new league – so she dressed as she always had.

Immediately the referee threw a wobbly. She told Iqra she could not play unless she took off the trousers and put shorts on instead. Iqra explained that she had never worn shorts in competitive games – and explained that, as a Muslim, she was only comfortable playing football if she dressed modestly. The referee stood her ground. Football Association (FA) rules state that only goalkeepers can wear tracksuit bottoms and other players should wear shorts. However, the FA had previously issued guidance to Clubs saying that they should be lenient when implementing this rule, saying that additional garments worn by a player because of their religious beliefs should be allowed.” The GLWFL stood firm – releasing a statement after banning Iqra confirming that only goalkeepers should wear tracksuit bottoms.

Iqra is not only a player. She was captain of the Somali women’s team and has worked as a coach in the UK. She has pressed the case of allowing Muslim women to dress modestly while playing for several years and told the BBC that she knew many Muslim women who did not play football because they did not want to wear shorts. Iqra is now campaigning to persuade the FA and the GLWFL – and the International Football Association Board – to change their rule to allow Muslim women to play on their own terms.

The FA told the BBC that they “remain deeply committed to ensuring that English football is an incusive and welcoming environment for everybody.”

In October 2021, a teenage women’s football team escaped from Afghanistan into Pakistan. They were invited to travel to the UK and given permission to stay – so that they could have the freedom to play the football that Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers did not want them to play. Now, it seems, the boot is rather on the other foot.

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