English FA apologises to Muslim football player banned for refusing to wear shorts

Iqra Ismail

English FA apologises to Muslim football player banned for refusing to wear shorts

The Football Association (FA) has issued an apology to Muslim football player Iqra Ismail after she was barred from playing in a Greater London Women’s Football League match for refusing to wear shorts due to her religious beliefs.

Ismail, who plays for United Dragons, was set to come on as a substitute during Sunday’s game against Tower Hamlets but was stopped by the referee.

The FA has assured Ismail that she will be allowed to wear tracksuit bottoms in future matches to accommodate her religious practices.

In a video shared on social media, Ismail expressed her disappointment, stating, “The Greater London Women’s Football League have stopped me from playing because of my religious beliefs, because I refused to wear shorts with my playing kit.”

Ismail, who has played in the league for nearly five years while wearing tracksuit bottoms, added that this issue has grown over the years.

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“Every year they have made it more and more difficult for women like me to play,” she explained. “This year they have drawn the line and banned me from playing until I compromise my beliefs.”

She recounted how the Middlesex FA referee for Sunday’s game informed her that he had received strict instructions from the league not to allow women to wear tracksuit bottoms, regardless of whether they matched the team kit.

In response, an FA spokesperson told Sky Sports News, “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.”

Ismail, a prominent advocate for diversity and inclusion in football, was named to the Football Black List five years ago and recently spoke at the FA’s Your Game Your Way event at Brentford FC.

Reflecting on the incident, she said, “They ask me why women’s football lacks diversity and why it is difficult to find women who look like me in the competitive game. Things like this are the reason.”