OK, so I know this isn’t totally topical anymore, nor is it
completely on topic, but trust me I’ll try to bring it around. It wasn’t long ago that the Iranian
Women’s football team was disqualified from an Olympic qualifying match because the player wanted to wear
their hijab. Now there are many
issues surrounding this story including FIFA’s general ban on political and religious
displays and whether the Iranian team broke a previous compromise agreement
with FIFA regarding some sort of cap to replace the hijab.
I don’t want to get into the religious freedom issue, in
part because it’s so inflammatory and in part because I can see both
sides. The thing is, from what
I’ve seen of the reporting on this issue from both the Islamic and Western
press is that FIFA is standing by their contention that the hijab presents a
choking hazard. That’s right. Instead of standing by their
established rule about political and religious statements they are instead
putting forth this perplexing nonsense about safety. Poppycock!
As a referee I would not want to see a hijab in a scrum or a
ruck. I would worry about a player
in a hijab on a break away with a defender chasing them down. I can see safety issues there in terms
of both choking and whiplash types of injuries. But that’s because I referee rugby, a sport that has actual
contact as an actual part of the game.
I ask you, when in football is there enough prolonged contact of a
grasping or pulling nature as to present a choking hazard? Mind you, this is “sport” where players fling themselves to the ground, roll around and cry if an opponent passes
within a meter of them. So when
the hell is anyone going to have a chance to choke anyone else? The whole assertion is
preposterous. It seems to me to be
a thinly veiled attempt to punish the Muslim world simply for being Muslim.
Get with it FIFA, stop pretending your game has any danger and
clean up the egregious flopping before trying to assert any claims about
protecting player safety. Ninnies.
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