Former Somalia captain Iqra Ismail said she has spoken with the Football Association (FA) and is ready to resume playing while wearing tracksuit bottoms after she was barred from a match for not wearing shorts.

Ismail said in an Instagram video earlier this week that she had been playing in the Greater London Women’s Football League (GLWFL) for five years wearing tracksuit bottoms but was not allowed to come on as a substitute on Sunday for United Dragons.

On Wednesday, the FA said women players across its competitions are allowed to wear clothing that follows their religious beliefs.

“I have been in contact with senior members of the FA and Middlesex County FA, they’ve been really supportive and are actively working to make sure nothing like this happens again,” the 24-year-old, who captained Somalia in 2019, said in a video posted to X on Thursday.

“And I am pleased to say, as of this weekend, I will be back on the pitch playing football in my tracksuit bottoms.”

The GLWFL said this week it was their understanding that players were required to wear shorts on top of clothing that covered their legs, but had since been informed it was not so and had passed along the guidance to their match officials.

-Reuters

General Secretary of Nigeria Football Federation, Dr Mohammed Sanusi has formally welcomed the U17 Women National Team, Flamingos, from the 2024 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup finals in the Dominican Republic, saying the ladies put up a good fight and need to be encouraged despite quarter-final elimination by the United States of America.

“The Nigeria Football Federation is proud of the Flamingos and the efforts they put into the competition. Two years ago, they defeated the USA on penalties at the same stage, on their way to collecting the bronze medals. That is football for you.

“If you watched their games, you will agree that the girls put up a great fight in every match. They swept through their group phase, collecting the maximum nine points and scoring nine goals while conceding only one. They created several chances against the USA but were quite unlucky. This is a good team and the players must be encouraged going forward. I believe a good number of them have the skill, temperament and discipline to progress to the U20 squad.”

The Flamingos’ delegation returned to Nigeria on Tuesday, after the 0-2 defeat in the hands of USA in Santiago de los Caballeros ended their race in the tournament. The girls had spanked New Zealand 4-1, routed Ecuador 4-0 and pipped host nation Dominican Republic 1-0 in overhauling their Group A.

Head Coach Bankole Olowookere said: “Against the USA, it was simply not our day. The girls created opportunities but the ball just wouldn’t go in. The Americans took their chances, and that is football for you. We will start to work immediately at raising an even stronger team for the next edition, as the tournament is now annual and the work must start now.”

The FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup in the Dominican Republic will be the last to be played on a biennial basis, with the competition to be played yearly from next year and Morocco to host the first five editions.

England’s Football Association (FA) said women players across its competitions are allowed to wear clothing that follows their religious beliefs after former Somalia captain Iqra Ismail was prevented from playing a match for not wearing shorts.

Ismail, who is also a coach, said in an Instagram video that she had been playing in the Greater London Women’s Football League (GLWFL) for five years wearing tracksuit bottoms but on Sunday she was not allowed to come on as a substitute for United Dragons.

“The Middlesex FA referee for yesterday’s game said that the league had told him strictly not to allow women like me to wear tracksuit bottoms… if it matches our kit or not,” Ismail, a Muslim, said.

“If we do not wear shorts, we cannot play. That is what I was told yesterday.”

The FA said that they were aware of the matter and were in contact with the Middlesex FA to ensure it is quickly resolved.

“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,” a spokesperson from the FA said on Wednesday.

The Middlesex FA said they were in contact with the FA and the league to resolve the matter.

“Guidance from the FA was issued 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,” a spokesperson said.

“We are working with all our stakeholders to ensure they can apply this guidance effectively and remain deeply committed to ensuring that English football is an inclusive and welcoming environment for everybody.”

The GLWFL said in a statement it was their understanding that players were required to wear shorts on top of clothing that covered their legs.

“However, we have since been made aware that shorts on top of tracksuits or tights are not required… we will be providing this updated guidance to all our match officials and members,” the league wrote on X.

-Reuters