The Muslim Women’s Sports Foundation has thanked The FA and David Bernstein for their support in the lead-up to last weekend’s official IFAB endorsement to allow a headscarf (Hijab) to be worn in football.
FIFA Vice President Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein confirmed at the IFAB meeting in Surrey that there would be an accelerated testing process to allow headscarves to be worn safely by Muslim players across the globe and Rimla Akhtar of the MWSF commented: “The endorsement to allow the wearing of the hijab cannot be underestimated and we hope that the same will be applied to garments worn by people of other faiths.
“We are sincerely appreciative of the efforts of HRH Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein and his team, along with the continued efforts of The FA, led by David Bernstein, with whom we have been working on this issue since it first emerged.
“There are millions of men and women across the world who been affected by this Law since it was introduced and we are pleased that a common sense approach has been adopted.
“This decision will remove perceived and actual barriers, allowing more women to be brought into the game and so we look forward to continuing our work both in the UK and internationally.”
Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein added: “On behalf of the Asian Football Confederation that mandated me to pursue this issue, I would like to wholeheartedly thank all IFAB members, especially our host, Chairman David Bernstein, for their leadership and vision in fulfilling the dreams of many women around the world.”