Football chiefs agreed on Thursday to lift a ban on women wearing headscarves during games, clearing the way for the participation of many Muslim nations in top-flight competition.
Until the vote by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) here, players were prevented from wearing a headscarf, or hijab, at the sport’s highest level for safety reasons and on religious grounds. Critics said the ban promoted inequality at the highest level of the world’s most popular game.
See also “FIFA lift ban on Islamic headscarves”, Reuters, 5 July 2012
Update: And “AFC says ‘right’ to lift headscarf ban”, AFP, 6 July 2012