French Football Federation – Eye on Islamism

UN experts urge France to reverse hijab bans in sports, calling it ‘discriminatory’ 'Muslim women and girls who wear the hijab must have equal rights to participate in cultural and sporting life, and to take part in all aspects of French society of which they are a part,' they say

October 28, 2024 Beyza Binnur Donmez

(Anadolu) UN experts on Monday called on France to reverse “discriminatory measures” banning women and girls who choose to wear the hijab from doing so while playing sports. The experts said in a statement that the decisions by the French football and […]

Hijab compromise fails to quell France’s discrimination debate

August 2, 2024 Layli Foroudi

(Reuters) Days before the Paris Olympics began, French sprinter Sounkamba Sylla was stuck in a row with her government over the right to wear a hijab at the opening ceremony. But after a last-gasp compromise was found — in the shape of […]

French soccer federation limits support for players’ Ramadan observance. Critics see discrimination

March 29, 2024 Samuel Petrequin

(AP) For Muslim soccer players in deeply secular France, observing Ramadan is a tall order, and this is not about to change. Wielding the principle of religious neutrality enshrined in the French constitution, the country’s soccer federation does not make things easy […]

French Football Federation opposes match breaks for Muslim players in Ramadan This contrasts with the decisions of countries like England and Germany, who have allowed measures to give Muslim players a chance to break their fast before resuming the match.

March 13, 2024 Jihane Rahhou

(Morocco World News) The French Football Federation (FFF) has once again opposed the implementation of breaks during matches for Muslim players to break their fast during Ramadan. According to converging media reports, the FFF’s Federal Referees Commission (CFA) sent an email to […]

Algerian football international Atal convicted over Gaza post

January 3, 2024 Unlisted Author

(AFP) Algerian international footballer Youcef Atal was handed an eight-month suspended sentence by a French court Wednesday for inciting religious hatred in a social media post about the conflict in Gaza. The 27-year-old defender, who plays for Ligue 1 side Nice, must […]

Algerian footballer on trial in France over Gaza post

December 18, 2023 Unlisted Author

(AFP) Algerian international footballer Youcef Atal went on trial in France Monday accused of inciting hatred after posting a video in which a Palestinian preacher purportedly threatens Israel with a “black day.” Atal, who plays for Ligue 1 side Nice, shared the […]

Nice soccer player Atal will face trial Dec. 18 after sharing an antisemitic message on social media

November 24, 2023 Unlisted Author

(AP) French authorities detained Nice defender Youcef Atal and ordered him to stand trial next month on charges of inciting hatred after he shared an antisemitic message online, the regional prosecutor’s office said Friday. Atal was suspended by the French soccer league […]

French league suspends Atal for 7 games for sharing an antisemitic message on social media

October 25, 2023 Unlisted Author

(AP) The French soccer league suspended Nice defender Youcef Atal for seven matches on Wednesday after he shared an antisemitic message on social media. Nice had already suspended Atal last week until further notice and said that he apologized for his actions. […]

French senator demands footballer Karim Benzema lose citizenship over Muslim Brotherhood claim Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said the star was ‘linked’ with the Muslim party. Benzema’s lawyer said that’s not true.

October 18, 2023 Nicolas Camut

(Politico) A French senator on Wednesday called for Karim Benzema to be stripped of his French citizenship after Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin suggested the football star was linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, a Sunni Islamist party considered to be a terrorist group […]

Nice suspend defender Atal for alleged anti-Semitic post

October 18, 2023 Unlisted Author

(AFP) Ligue 1 side Nice suspended Algerian international Youcef Atal “until further notice” on Wednesday after he shared a controversial post on social media linked to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas. Even though he quickly deleted the […]

France investigates footballer for ‘glorification of terror’

October 16, 2023 Unlisted Author

(AFP) French prosecutors on Monday launched a preliminary investigation into a top-flight footballer on suspicion of “glorifying terrorism” after he reposted an allegedly anti-Semitic message on social media relating to the Israel-Hamas conflict. Youcef Atal, an Algerian international who plays for Ligue […]

French soccer federation condemns Nice player Atal for reportedly reposting hate speech against Jews

October 15, 2023 Unlisted Author

(AP) Algeria soccer player Youcef Atal, who plays for French Ligue 1 side Nice, apologized Sunday after reportedly reposting and then deleting a video that called for “a black day for Jews.” French Football Federation President Philippe Diallo said Atal had relayed […]

Paris Olympics 2024: France bans own athletes from wearing veil Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera made the statement amid an ongoing controversy over a ban on abayas in school

September 25, 2023 Nadda Osman

(Middle East Eye) French athletes will not be allowed to wear veils during the Paris Olympic Games set to be held next year, the country’s sports minister announced on Sunday. Appearing as a guest on the show Sunday in Politics, airing on the […]

Top French court upholds hijab ban in women’s football

June 29, 2023 Marie Dhumieres

(AFP) France’s top administrative court on Thursday upheld a ban on women football players wearing Islamic hijab headscarves, after the issue was seized on by politicians claiming secularism was at risk. “Sporting federations whose task is to ensure the good functioning of […]

Headscarves in football ignite new French secularism debate

June 27, 2023 Adam Plowright and Lucile Malandain

(AFP) After spending past summers debating burkinis, France looks set for a new bout of arguing over Islamic clothing, this time over whether women’s football players should be allowed to wear headscarves during matches. At the centre of the latest soul-searching is […]

French women’s football collective scores in fight against veil ban

June 26, 2023 Ayoub Simour and Marie Dhumieres

(AFP) A French women’s football collective seeking to overthrow a ban on players wearing the Islamic veil during [matches] scored a crucial legal goal on Monday in their judicial fight to force a rule change. Under its current rules, the French Football […]

Premier League matches to pause for fasting Muslim players during Ramadan

April 4, 2023 Shamoon Hafez

(BBC) Tuesday’s Premier League matches will briefly be paused for Muslim players who have been fasting during Ramadan. If clubs have requested a stoppage before the game, the referee will signal for a break, allowing Muslim players to eat and drink at […]

French referees told not to pause matches during Ramadan

March 31, 2023 Unlisted Author

(AFP) France’s football federation has told referees they must not pause matches to allow Muslim players to break their fast during Ramadan, media reports said Friday. Unlike England’s Premier League which allows it, the practice does not comply with the French Football […]

French court blocks ‘burkinis’ in council’s pools

May 25, 2022 Unlisted Author

(AFP) A French court stepped into a row over the wearing of burkinis in municipal swimming pools, suspending a council’s decision to allow Muslim women to wear them. The administrative court in the Alpine city of Grenoble blocked the rule change by […]

French city approves Muslim swimsuit in controversial change

May 16, 2022 Amelie Herenstein

(AFP) The French city of Grenoble on Monday authorised the wearing of the so-called “burkini” by Muslim women in state-run swimming pools, reigniting one of France’s most contentious debates on religous dress. The all-in-one swimsuit, used by some Muslim women to cover […]

Plan to allow burkinis in Grenoble swimming pools reignites French culture wars

May 15, 2022 Joanna York

(France 24) Burkinis have been a long-standing catalyst for dispute in France, calling societal attitudes towards Islam and feminism into question. Rule changes in Grenoble’s swimming pools suggest that opposition to the garment could be receding. With summer opening times for municipal […]

French minister condemns headscarf ban for Muslim footballers

February 10, 2022 Unlisted Author

(AFP) France’s gender equality minister threw her support on Thursday behind Muslim women footballers who are seeking to overturn a ban on players wearing headscarves on the pitch. Rules set by the French Football Federation currently prevent players taking part in competitive […]