LONDON: England’s Football Association has apologized to a Muslim footballer who was barred from a league match over her clothing.
Iqra Ismail, 24, who captained the Somali women’s team in 2019, was prevented from taking the field after refusing to wear shorts due to her religious beliefs.
On Sunday, Ismail was due to come on as a halftime substitute for United Dragons FC from London, but was prevented by the referee, who said club shorts were mandatory.
The Dragons were playing Tower Hamlets within the Greater London Women’s Football League, which has since updated its guidance to match officials and members.
The league said in a statement that it has been working with the FA to “better understand” its guidance on women’s playing attire to “ensure their faith or religious beliefs are not compromised.”
The statement added: “It was our understanding that players were permitted to wear tights or tracksuit bottoms to cover their legs but that they would also have to wear shorts on top, to adhere to club colour regulations. It was this requirement that our referee was seeking to adhere to this weekend.”
Ismail told the BBC that she “was warmed up and ready to go” before the referee’s decision, and that she had worn tracksuits in matches for almost five years.
“I’ve never worn shorts playing competitively,” she added. “I told him that I wasn’t comfortable wearing shorts in any capacity. It was a shock to me that the referee took such a strong stance of it.
“I was very visibly upset as the game was going on, my teammates and the manager were very supportive. Everyone has been devastated.”
Ismail has played the sport since she was 8 and has always worn a sports hijab, a long-sleeve top and tracksuit while on the field.
She was appointed to the Football Black List in 2019 and was a speaker at the FA’s Your Game Your Way event at Brentford Football Club earlier this year, Sky News reported.
Since the incident on Sunday, which Ismail detailed in an online video, the FA has pledged to ensure that the issue is “quickly resolved.”
An FA spokesperson told Sky: “We are aware of this matter and we are in contact with Middlesex FA to ensure that it is quickly resolved.
“We proactively wrote to all county FAs and match officials across the women’s grassroots game earlier this year to confirm that women and girls should be allowed to wear clothing that ensures their faith or religious beliefs are not compromised.
“We remain deeply committed to ensuring that English football is an inclusive and welcoming environment for everybody.”
