Kiwi soccer stars want FIFA to sanction headscarves

Ryan Nelsen. Photo / Doug Sherring

Football star Ryan Nelsen has been enlisted as a supporter in a unique campaign, spearheaded by a Jordanian prince, to get more Muslim women playing football.

Nelsen is one of two New Zealanders - former Football Ferns midfielder Michele Cox is the other - working with Prince Ali bin Al Hussein (a son of the late King Hussein) who is championing a drive to get football's world body FIFA to approve headscarves for women who want to play football.

The prince is FIFA's vice president, Asia, and is a passionate advocate of allowing women to wear head coverings so they can observe traditional cultural values and be able to play sport.

Some countries do not allow women to play football (or sometimes any sport at all) without being covered in traditional ways.

FIFA has also contributed to the problem by not having a clear policy and by being reluctant to sanction headscarves, officially for safety reasons. There are also fears FIFA is wary of allowing headscarves because it sets a precedent for other cultural/religious requests.

Nelsen - who will be in New Zealand on Wednesday to captain the All Whites against Jamaica in an international friendly - was this week in Amman to meet Prince Ali.

"I, and all the players I have talked to, fully support the women being allowed to play football - it's a complete no-brainer for me," said Nelsen after meeting the prince. "We have seen the benefits that women bring to the game and want to encourage their involvement. Barring them because of their culture is the total antithesis to that."

Prince Ali said both he and Nelsen agreed football was a game to be played by everyone. "Talking to players and people on the pitch has been great - they are a vocal group and the feedback we have received has been amazing."

Prince Ali and Cox have helped develop a new headscarf - fastened by velcro and which disengages easily - to deal with the safety issues.

They are meeting with IFAB (FIFA's law-making body) this week to propose a new global set of rules for the wearing of headscarves.

"I am not into politics but we need to allow people from different cultures to participate in the game and we need to tackle this issue now or it could be a catastrophe for those aspiring to play," Prince Ali said.

Cox said the benefits were great. "I really believe these women have a right to play. Football is supposed to be for all - but women can't play because they want to wear something on their heads."

More than 650 million Muslim women could be brought into the game.