Ahmadinejad slams ‘dictators, colonialists’ over FIFA ban on Islamic dress for female soccer players

Published: 06.09.11

Iran’s president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad lashed out against the FIFA international soccer association after it banned the Iranian women’s national team from an Olympic qualifier because of its insistence on Islamic dress, Yedioth Ahronoth reported Thursday.



"These are the dictators and colonialists who want to impose their lifestyle on others," Ahmadinejad said in a news conference, after Iranian players insisted on playing while wearing a hijab, thereby forfeiting their recent match against Jordan.

Addressing its decision, FIFA declared that the ban on Islamic dress in female soccer matches was imposed for safety reasons.



Iran’s ambassador to Jordan, Mustafa Musleh Zadeh, also slammed the soccer governing body’s decision, referring to it as “inhumane and politically motivated.”

Meanwhile, President Ahmadinejad added that he appointed a special representative to follow up on the case in an effort to change the decision in Iran’s favor.



"We will deal with those who carried out this ugly job,” Ahmadinejad said.







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