International soccer officials uphold Muslim girl's ejection

Members of the International Football Association Board, which administers the rules for FIFA met to discuss the issue of banning the hijab and voiced support for the Canadian referee.

By Eric Alvarez
Neverwalkalone.com

Asmahan Mansour, 11, of Ottawa sits on the bench with her teammates.
Brian Barwick, chief executive of the International Football Association Board

IFAB officials ruled that the referee who ejected an 11-year-old Muslim girl last week who refused to remove her hijab made the correct decision.

The organization held its annual meeting in Manchester, England earlier this week.

"I think it's absolutely right to be sensitive to people's thoughts and philosophies," said Brian Barwick, chief executive of the board. "But equally, football has a set of laws it has to adhere to."

The ruling was seen as vague by many who expected a definitive ruling on whether to allow the hijab in official games or ban it.

"What it means, in truth, is that we favor Law 4 being adhered to," Barwick added.

The referee, who is also Muslim, told Mansour to remove her hijab or leave the game. Mansour had already played two games that weekend. Following the referee decision, her team decided to withdraw from the tournament in support of the player.

Up for interpretation
Though members of the International Football Association Board said they support the enforcement of Law 4, they did not outwardly ban the hijab.

Law 4 outlines the basic equipment and uniform but also leaves room for protective or prescription equipment such as bandages, pads or goggles.

The rule also states a player in violation of the rule is required to leave the field but may re-enter if the referee checks that the player adheres to the rule.

The language used in the official ruling leaves the final decision up to the referee.

"We can't comment on individual cases, that's impossible," said an IFAB spokesperson. "We haven't got all the facts for evey individual case."

As for Mansour, and the many Muslim girls who play the sport, they will be allowed to participate unless a referee considers the hijab a safety risk.