Iranian Female Footballer Thrown Off Team For Not Playing in Hijab

Shiva Amini, a female soccer star who journeyed to Switzerland for a personal trip, was booted from her Iranian team because she was caught playing without the hijab.

She was on holiday in Switzerland and decided to play in the soccer game. But she didn’t want to wear the hijab.

When her Iranian team found out, she was booted.

The Daily Mail has the story:

“Shiva Amini was on holiday when she took part in a kick-about with a group of men and officials from the Iranian Futsal Federation waded through her social media accounts to find a picture of her playing in a pair of shorts and without a headscarf.

“The veil has been a mandatory dress requirement for women in Iran since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, and officials suspended her from the national team.

“Speaking out against the decision, the footballer said sport is more important than any veil.

“‘The hijab should be an unimportant issue for us, the female players,’ she said.

“‘However for the officials of the country, it seems to be a deal-breaker.

“‘I received a note from the federation to say not only had I played without a veil, but also I dared to play with boys.

“‘So I was disqualified and I was removed from the national team.

“‘I was told this behaviour would cause me a lot of headaches at home.’”

It doesn’t matter that she was playing on her own time, and not in her official capacity of Iran’s team.