Sorry - no headscarves please!

There is nothing more annoying sometimes than hearing tales of “the law” being adhered to a little too rigidly without common sense. News comes the way of ‘Kick It’ this week of an incident which typifies that such twaddle is alive and well in our game.

Iman Khalil, a 15-year old Muslim girl, was forced to sit out a game in Tampa, Florida recently because the center referee said her head scarf was not part of her red-and-white soccer uniform and therefore violated game rules. Wearing headgear is generally prohibited as the head, as we know, can be used in the game.

Iman, who had never had an issue with the scarf in the two years she has played competitively, was somewhat stunned when the referee told her she couldn’t take to the field with a piece of clothing which is part of her faith.

Her Hernando Heat U16 teammates, parents, and members of the opposing Zephyrhills Bulldogs all urged the referee to let her play to no avail. Iman’s mother told the Tampa Tribune she was brought to tears, while parents called the incident a “heartbreaking” one.

The man in the middle stood by his decision even after the United Soccer Association's referee assignor checked with the league at half-time and was told Iman could play the second half.

You’ll be glad to hear that a different referee allowed her to play wearing her head scarf the following day against South Hillsborough Soccer League Celtics. In fact, league officials turned up - obviously aware of the growing media interest - with policies that showed she should have been able to play Saturday, including a 2002 memorandum that covers the topic of players "bound by religious law to wear such head coverings."

A player "must request the variance well enough ahead of game time,” the law states, but Iman and her team had not requested such a variance because the scarf had never been a problem before.