The FA has apologised to the Muslim footballer banned from match for playing in trousers due to her religion
Iqra Ismail, 24, was due to make her debut for London-based amateur side United Dragons, but was banned by a referee before she could come on as a substitute.
The Greater London Women's League said they misunderstood the rules after a Muslim amateur football player has said she was banned from playing in a match - because she wasn't wearing shorts due to her religious beliefs.
In a statement posted to social media, the grassroots league said they have been working with the FA to ensure women and girls faith or religious beliefs are not compromised when playing.
In their statement the GLWL said: "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 colours regulations. It was this requirement that our referee was seeking to adhere to this weekend."
The league said they are providing updated guidance to ensure the accommodations are made in the future.
The FA called Ismail directly on Tuesday evening and apologised to her, reassuring her she will be finally able to play for her new team who have their next match this weekend.
Iqra Ismail, 24, from north west London, was due to play for the United Dragons in the Greater London Women's League on Sunday and was set to make her debut for the team by coming on at halftime.
However, the referee in the game against Tower Hamlet would not allow her to take part in the game in London's Regent's Park, claiming her kit was against the league's rules. Ismail, who wore trousers matching the team's colours, said the same referee had allowed her to play with tracksuit bottoms in two other matches.
Ismail has played for the grassroots league for five years as part of Headstone Manor and Hilltop FC, and had not experienced any issues with playing in a tracksuit until now. When banned from playing by the match official on 27 October, Ismail said her teammates expressed anger at the referee - while Ismail herself was left feeling as if she was a burden who was causing a delay.
Ismail posted a video to her social media accounts on Thursday evening, thanking everyone for their support and revealing she will be on the pitch this weekend. In the clip, she said she has been in touch with senior members of the FA and Middlesex FA to ensure this never happens again.
She said: "And I'm pleased to say, As of this weekend, I'll be back on the pitch playing football in my tracksuit bottoms. But, of course, guys, the journey doesn't end here."
"I'll continue to do my best moving forward to advocate for other women like me who just want a safe space to play football."
Having been banned from playing, Ismail had no choice but to leave the pitch, where she went back to the changing rooms, changed out of her kit and was left in tears. She spoke to the referee again after the game to try to find a resolution to the kit issue but was unsuccessful.
In an email shown to Yahoo News, the league had raised this to her as an issue in March 2024 while she played for Hilltop, but it appeared to have been dealt with as Ismail and her team were allowed to play wearing tracksuit bottoms.
The 24-year-old footballer from London and coach was named in Forbes magazine's '30 under 30' brightest young entrepreneurs list in 2019 and is the female refugee football project coordinator for QPR's community trust. She also received the Football Black List Award, which celebrates black excellence in football in 2019.
She said: "My angle was obviously like, as much as we try and follow the rules as best we can, they bend the rules in other places."
Ismail said her team and the FA have been supportive and are trying to sort this out. She said: "I've spoken with somebody at the FA who is fuming basically because they should've never done that, and they're trying to deal with it, but it seems to be a league problem."
Some things NEED to be called out. @GLWFLeague, do better. pic.twitter.com/iZE6DYO2gy
— Coach Iqra (@coachiqra) October 28, 2024
In the minute-long video posted to her social media, Ismail said: "They asked me why women's football lacks diversity and why it's difficult to find women who look like me in a competitive game, and things like this are the reason.
"Yesterday I was so angry and frustrated, literally to the point of tears, and I've genuinely never felt that isolated, but my responsibility is to advocate for women like me."
Ismail said that she is grateful for the overwhelming support she has received.
She has been working on the inclusion of Muslim women in football by holding weekly matches and events. In July, after a sold-out screening to watch England play in the Euro final, she said she hoped that one day, more Muslim women in hijabs would play football at the highest level.
A spokesperson for the FA told Yahoo News that they are aware of the matter and are in touch with Middlesex FA. They said: "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."
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