Hijab still banned by French federation
Reuters - Friday 06 July 2012, 17:26
Female French footballers are
still precluded from wearing headscarves even though world football's rulemakers lifted the ban on the hijab this week.
The French Football Federation (FFF) said in a statement on
Friday that it had to "respect the constitutional and legal
principles of secularism which prevail in our country and which
feature in our statutes.
"In these circumstances (the FFF) does not authorise female
players to wear headscarves."
French law prohibits face-covering headgear including masks,
helmets, balaclavas, niqabs and other veils covering the face in
public places except under specified circumstances.
On Thursday, the rule-making International Football
Association Board overturned the ban on the use of the Islamic
headscarf.