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| Down Under |
| Melbourne Soccer match canned over player’s Hijab |
| 2004-04-28 |
| EFL - the head-baggy issue continues to cause chaos. Can we get Kofi to make a call on this one? Capt Hook is running amok in London and gets a 9 month VISA extension, while the Western World confronts the lady with the sock on her mellon. What gives? A Women’s Premier League soccer game was called off on Sunday after a player was told she could not take the field unless she removed her Muslim headscarf. A referee refused to start the game between South Melbourne Women’s Soccer Club and Keilor Park WSC until South Melbourne player Afifa Saad took off her hijab. "He said ’You can’t play with it on. Is there something wrong with your head?’ I said ’No, I’m Muslim’," Ms Saad told Channel Nine yesterday. Rewind and review that exchange several times. The sports fanatic, in her fourth season with South Melbourne, always plays in a white Muslim scarf and long track pants under her team shorts. It was the first time she had been asked to remove her hijab. When she refused, teammates and the opposition team supported her. "She was crying when it happened. Her teammates rallied around her, which was great to see... they stood behind her and said we will not play now," South Melbourne coach Alex Alexopoulos said. The referee later said Ms Saad, 21, could take the field if she changed the colour of her scarf to match her uniform. Then, after consulting the Victorian Soccer Federation, he agreed Ms Saad could play, but by then the game had been delayed for more than 15 minutes, which meant it had to be postponed. "She is very distraught, very upset," Mr Alexopoulos said. Embarrassed Victorian Soccer Federation officials moved quickly to rule out any suggestion that the referee - an experienced official of more than 12 years’ standing - had discriminated against the player, but agreed that she deserved an apology. The organisation said it had begun an inquiry into the controversy and expected to produce a report within a week. Mr Bambridge said the sport’s global controlling body, FIFA, regarded such headwear as acceptable as long as it was not deemed to be dangerous to other players by containing pins or other implements. He said South Melbourne would not forfeit the points and the match would be replayed. The referee could be subject to disciplinary action once the federation had determined what had taken place, he said. |
| Posted by:Super Hose |
| #15 Can A person with no hands be called for hand ball? |
| Posted by: Brew 2004-04-29 12:09:51 AM |
| #14 ex-lib, LOL that was outstanding. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2004-04-28 10:44:00 PM |
| #13 Super Hose: Yeah, and then when the game is over, I can go around and hug everybody. |
| Posted by: ex-lib 2004-04-28 8:30:05 PM |
| #12 It could bamboozle a goalie if it was any kind of Wazibilly turban. LOL. It worries me that I understand exactly what you're saying. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-04-28 5:19:12 PM |
| #11 Can't get the picture I'm afraid - page won't load damn it.. I imagine it to be a filmy membrane thus avoiding any unpredictability in the flight of the ball from a header. It could bamboozle a goalie if it was any kind of Wazibilly turban. |
| Posted by: Howard UK 2004-04-28 4:09:17 PM |
| #10 Howard, look at the picture. I think she is actually wearing flash gear. It should work fine for a head ball. Ex-lib, if you want to don the colors of Barney, they might just make you the goalie. :-) |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2004-04-28 1:47:42 PM |
| #9 LOL! everyone. Nice string of comments. If her father or brother or uncle is going to beat the living sh-t out of her if she doesn't wear the nonsense, I can understand it. Let that be known to everyone--let it be public knowledge. And let them know also, that all Islamic pseudo-men need to die. But I can't stand the idea of some silly, oppressed, repressed, female Muslim man-worshipper holding herself up to be some kind of "holy" thing in comparison to her other ("slutty") team members in their shorts and t-shirts. And they go along with it, because why? . . . Oh yeah. It's very important for US to be "culturally" sensitive--but not for them to be. What's next?? "Barney is my god, and in reverence for him I must don the purple and green body costume?" People are stupid to let this continue--the Islamoidz are laughing all the way to the bank. |
| Posted by: ex-lib 2004-04-28 1:07:08 PM |
| #8 Damn right - good for binding in the scrum as well. |
| Posted by: Howard UK 2004-04-28 10:11:46 AM |
| #7 heh. Now if it was rugby, I'd let her keep it on. Just makes the other team want to hit her harder. |
| Posted by: Cthulhu Akbar 2004-04-28 10:05:42 AM |
| #6 CF- Depends on whether you mean the sword or the mine. Mike |
| Posted by: Mike Kozlowski 2004-04-28 9:54:44 AM |
| #5 You know... my religion requires me to always carry a claymore.... I should be allowed to play a sport while carrying it shouldn't I? I mean in the name of diversity and religious tolorance.... |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2004-04-28 9:32:25 AM |
| #4 How are you supposed to head the ball wearing a hijab? |
| Posted by: Howard UK 2004-04-28 4:53:11 AM |
| #3 "Is there something wrong with your head?" Answer: "...I'm Muslim" lol! |
| Posted by: ohlightenup 2004-04-28 4:45:42 AM |
| #2 Great catch Super Hose! Question: "Is there something wrong with your head?" Answer: "...I'm Muslim" |
| Posted by: John in Tokyo 2004-04-28 1:50:36 AM |
| #1 Young Ibn told his father, "they mock me father, they mock my robe and they mock the prophet. They say he is fake". "Fake!" cried Ibns' father. He turns to his cousin, a man ready to avenge. "Begin then revenge." |
| Posted by: Lucky 2004-04-28 1:03:52 AM |