Afifa Saad, one of the Victoria state's most promising strikers

MELBOURNE, Australia, May 22 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Australia’s football federation has adopted a new rule allowing Muslim women players to wear hijab in the field.

The rule came after Muslim player Afifa Saad had lodged a complaint with the Victorian Soccer Federation (VSF) over the discriminatory decision of a referee to call off an April 27 match due to her hijab, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP) Friday, May 21.

Saad was told she could not take part unless she removed her Islamic headscarf.

The VSF agreed that Ms. Saad, one of the Victoria state's most promising strikers, deserved an apology.

VSF development manager Chris Bambridge said there is nothing in the rules of the federation that particularly addresses head gear, such as the hijab.

VSF chief executive Damien Brown also said Friday that it had been a normal practice in multicultural Melbourne to permit the wearing of headscarves by women players but that last month's incident showed the need for a formal rule on the matter.

"One of the real advantages of soccer over any other sport is of course its cultural diversity and its appeal across all boundaries," he said.

"The hijab has been deemed from the outset not to be dangerous and on that basis there is no issue whatsoever with people wearing it," he said.

FIFA’s Approval

The slogan of the Victorian Soccer Federation

Brown said he expected the new policy to be formalized later this month and he planned to then present it for possible adoption by the Australian Soccer Association and the soccer governing body (FIFA).

"I guess what we're saying is, it's the first time that this has received this sort of press and we're trying to set an example that will be applied across the world," he said.

It was the first time that Afifa Saad, who always plays in a white headscarf and long trousers, had been asked to remove her headscarf.

When she refused, both her team mates and the opposition team supported her.

"She was crying when it happened. Her team mates rallied around her, which was great to see," South Melbourne coach Alex Alexopoulos told local media.

After consulting with the VSF, the referee eventually cleared Ms. Saad to play, but the game had to be postponed because of the delay.

Hijab has taken central stage recently in several European countries, which banned it in state-run schools and public institutions.

France has triggered the controversy by adopting a bill banning hijab and religious insignia in public schools.

The U.S.-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) said the French move is "discriminatory".

Islam sees hijab as an obligatory code of dress, not a religious symbol displaying one’s affiliations – unlike the symbolic Christian crucifixes or Jewish Kappas.