Jamie Komarnicki , Calgary Herald

Published: Saturday, December 01, 2007

Calgary Herald

A loophole in the laws of the game allowed a 14-year-old Muslim girl to take the field with her soccer team today, one week after referees told her she couldn’t play while wearing a hijab.

Safaa Menhem fashioned her hijab into a bandanna to help her Chinook Phantom under-16 girls team to a 4-1 victory at the Calgary Soccer Centre today.

“I was happy I was able to play,” said Safaa, grinning broadly as she came off the pitch arm in arm with beaming teammates.

Safaa wasn’t allowed to finish a game last Saturday after a referee told her coach she couldn’t play if she wore a hijab.

On Friday, the Alberta Soccer Association advised its referees not to let players wear a hijab during a game. It’s an interim decision while they come up with a clear rule in the coming weeks.

But tying the headscarf so that it is fashioned at the back of her head rather than draped around the front of her neck satisfied the safety component of the rules, said Gary Roy, the former referee development officer who helped come up with the “Band-Aid” solution.

“We were trying to come up with a solution to help her conform to the safety issue,” said Roy.
“It respects the Alberta Soccer Association ruling and at the same time gets the girl on the field to play,” he said.
Bandannas are generally not allowed on the field, unless deemed medically necessary by each individual referee, or, in this case, for religious reasons, said Roy.
jkomarnicki@theherald.canwest.com

Calgary Herald