A Muslim player reported that he was not allowed to play in a regional league in London in long pants, instead of shorts, so as not to “compromise his religious beliefs.”
Iqra Ismail, who plays for United Dragons of the London regional league, missed the field in a match against Tower Hamlets for wearing long tracksuit pants instead of short ones.
“The women’s league of London did not allow me to play because of my religious beliefs, because I refuse to wear shorts. “I’ve been playing in this league for five years, with long pants, and every year they make it difficult for girls like me to play,” she said in a video posted on social networks.
As the soccer player explained, the referee of the match told him that the league had told him not to allow any women to wear long pants.
The English federation apologized to Ismail and told him that he can wear long pants for the next matches.
“At this level, the priority should be that women’s football is accessible and the London league does the opposite. I’ve been asked why women’s football doesn’t have much diversity and why it’s hard to find women like me in competitive football. Things like this are the reason,” added the soccer player.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
