Muslim footballer stopped from playing in joggers

A shot manager and exile advocator was prevented from playing successful a lucifer due to the fact that she wears tracksuit bottoms alternatively than shorts, which she says compromises her spiritual beliefs.

Iqra Ismail, who captained Somalia successful 2019, said the contented arose erstwhile she signed for Regent's Park grassroots squad United Dragons FC.

The 24-year-old, from westbound London, was expected to play her archetypal crippled connected Sunday against an eastbound London team, but was told by the referee that nine shorts were a requirement.

The Greater London Women's Football League, of which United Dragons FC is simply a member, said that pursuing the incidental it would beryllium updating guidance to each lucifer officials and members.

Ms Ismail told the BBC she "was warmed up, I was acceptable to go", but erstwhile "I came connected astatine fractional time... the referee told maine that I wouldn't beryllium capable to play unless I was wearing shorts".

"I person been playing the aforesaid league for astir 5 years wearing the aforesaid tracksuit bottoms and I've ne'er worn shorts playing competitively," she continued.

"I told him that I wasn't comfy wearing shorts successful immoderate capacity.

"It was a daze to maine that the referee took specified a beardown stance of it.

"I was precise visibly upset arsenic the crippled was going on, my teammates and the manager were precise supportive. Everyone has been devastated."

Ms Ismail, who has played shot since she was eight, said she has ever worn a long-sleeve top, the team's shirt, a sports hijab and tracksuit bottoms arsenic good arsenic shin pads and different indispensable equipment.

"I cognize a batch of women [of the aforesaid religion and beliefs] who don't play actively successful these leagues, adjacent though they are precise susceptible of doing so, due to the fact that they don't consciousness comfy wearing shorts. That's the crushed they bash not play."

She said it was the tracksuit bottoms that were the problem, not the agelong sleeve top.

The Greater London Women's Football League appeared to beryllium successful contravention of the guidance fixed by the Football Association (FA) instructing to beryllium lenient regarding the issue, but authoritative FA rules authorities that tracksuit bottoms are lone to beryllium worn by the goalkeeper.

However, since the incident, the league has issued a connection to accidental it has been moving with the FA to "better understand" the item of the guidance regarding what women and girls tin deterioration erstwhile playing shot which "ensures their religion oregon spiritual beliefs are not compromised".

It said: "It was our knowing that players were permitted to deterioration tights oregon tracksuit bottoms to screen their legs but that they would besides person to deterioration shorts connected top, to adhere to nine colours regulations. It was this request that our referee was seeking to adhere to this weekend.

It says though that is has been since been made alert that this is not the lawsuit and that lucifer officials should accommodate trousers "to guarantee the players consciousness arsenic comfy arsenic possible".

The league added: "We volition beryllium providing this updated guidance to each our lucifer officials and members and privation to guarantee everyone, including Iqra, that we afloat enactment the rule that players should deterioration covering that ensures their religion and/or spiritual beliefs are not compromised."

Speaking earlier the league released its statement, Ms Ismail said portion moving arsenic a manager she tried to springiness the Greater London Women's Football League guidance connected the issue, referencing the FA's proposal astir leniency - but said they antecedently "decided not to budge".

"It's been 1 measurement guardant and 2 steps backmost with this issue," she said.

"In the past fewer years, I've been advocating for Muslim women to person a harmless abstraction successful the game.

"For example, we hosted a women-only alcohol-free viewing of the FA cupful final, for Muslim women to consciousness comfy and included.

"It's been hard to spot the hard enactment that a batch of america person enactment successful commencement to beryllium undone by incidents similar this."

She added: "Your spiritual principles and what you're comfy person to instrumentality precedence.

"People accidental erstwhile you're connected the pitch, you're a player, but I judge you should beryllium capable to bring your civilization and your individuality with you, yes it's a idiosyncratic enactment of defiance, but it's truthful overmuch bigger than conscionable me."

A spokesperson from the FA said: "We proactively wrote to each region FAs and lucifer officials crossed the women’s grassroots crippled earlier this twelvemonth to corroborate that women and girls should beryllium allowed to deterioration covering that ensures their religion oregon spiritual beliefs are not compromised.

"We stay profoundly committed to ensuring that English shot is an inclusive and welcoming situation for everybody."