Decision on the headscarf of the Council of State in France

In France, the Public Rapporteur of the Council of State, Clement Malverti, demanded that the French Football Federation (FFF) lift the ban on headscarves for female soccer players.

According to reports in the French press, the ban on wearing religious symbols, including the headscarf, in matches included in the first article of the statutes of the French Football Federation, was discussed yesterday at the session of the Council of State.

The public rapporteur of the Council of State, Malverti, demanded that the first article of the federation’s statute be repealed and that religious symbols, including the veil, be allowed in the parties.

Malverti evaluated that the other players, except those of the selection, are not subject to the “obligation of impartiality”.

THE DECISION IS EXPECTED TO BE MADE BY MID-JULY

The decision of the Council of State, which will set a precedent regarding the ban on the headscarf in football, is expected to be issued in mid-July.

The community of footballers known as ‘Les Hijabeuses’ (Headscarf) petitioned the Council of State for the annulment of this ban, after the French Football Federation had not allowed the headscarf since 2016.

The first article of the French Football Federation’s statutes prohibits players from wearing clothing or symbols that show their religious affiliation. (AA)