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channelnewsasia - Iran's Football Federation
has banned players from sporting "unconventional" and "foreign" hairstyles
on the pitch.
The Federation said players should respect the country's Islamic values and
set a good example for Iranian youths.
In a country where football is the most popular sport, the players are not
simply athletes but also role models.
Nazari Juibari, Esteqlal Coach, said: "Because they know that they have
millions of fans and they like them, and they try, and we also help them, to
go around the way they want, and the way the Islamic Republic likes, and we
have a strong belief in this."
What the Islamic Republic like is for football players to pay less attention
to their appearance and focus more on the game.
The Iranian Football Federation issued a ruling in September calling on
clubs to warn players to look "appropriate" not only on the pitch, but when
they go on trips.
The Federation said professional players should not curl their hair or wear
ponytails, and should not sport necklaces, earrings, or rings.
And they should not wear tight clothes, grow what the federation calls
"strange beards," or copy foreign styles.
Its supporters said the goal of the ruling was for players to observe the
Islamic morals of Iran's society.
Iraj Nadimi, Iranian Member of Parliament, said: "Every country has a
certain definition - way of behaviour, clothing, speaking, and so on. We
think all of our athletes realise this. Most of them approve of this. The
few that don't, they must accept that there will be problems for them."
The ruling has received mixed reactions from
both players and fans.
Mojtaba Jabari, Iranian Football Player, said: "I think that most of the
players, instead of pursuing hairstyles, because we are coming up on the
World Cup, it is better for players to improve their skills."
Ali Mansourian, Iranian Football Player, said: "In my opinion, the
appearance of a player is his own business. As it is in Europe, you see,
some players come when they want to protest something, they come and do
strange things to their appearances, hair."
One soccer fan said: "In my opinion, there's no problem if the players want
to do their appearances up … any kind of doing themselves up, it's no
problem if it's their faces or the style of their hair."
The written statement itself said players' observance of the guidelines
would be "supervised and encouraged".
And some Federation members said violators might be fined or banned from
playing.
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