The veil is still prohibited on the lawn in France. The soccer players will not be able to wear their hair and part of the head covered by the hijab in matches organized under the auspices of the French Football Federation (FFF). This was determined yesterday by the French Council of State, the supreme body for administrative disputes in the country, considering that it is up to the federations of each sport to establish the rules of participation to “guarantee the proper development of the matches and avoid any confrontation and confrontation ”.
This means that the 2016 restriction remains in force. In article 1 of the FFF regulations, it prevents playing soccer with “any sign or outfit that ostensibly shows a political, philosophical, religious or union affiliation.” In that category they included the Islamic veil.
“Sports federations, in charge of ensuring the proper functioning of the public service whose management is entrusted to them, may impose on their players the obligation of neutrality in clothing during competitions”, reasons the opinion of the Council of State, which it classifies as ” adapted” and “provided” the prohibition of the hijab decreed at the time by the FFF and gives it full validity.
In this sense, the resolution affects that footballers, who are not subject to a requirement of impartiality, may “see their freedom of expression of their opinions and convictions limited to guarantee the proper functioning of the public function and the protection of the rights and freedoms of others.
It was the Muslim women’s movement Hijabeuses that challenged the FFF rule. The activists recalled that in 2014, after a 20-month trial period, FIFA authorized headscarves (and turbans) at international tournaments. And they argued that the garment is a cultural symbol, while they complained of discrimination regarding symbols of other religions visible in tattoos of many soccer players, who do not have a veto.
However, his request was rejected by the Council of State, which maintains the ban as it has been until now. In other words, Iran and Qatar, Islamic countries that played in the 2022 men’s World Cup, could not have participated in the women’s World Cup that France organized in 2019. This rule is added to those of not wearing obvious religious signs in public schools and that of not wearing a burqa is public spaces for going with the hidden face.
