PARIS, July 7: Female French footballers are still precluded from wearing headscarves even though world football’s rule-makers lifted the ban on the hijab this week.

The French Football Federation (FFF) said in a statement on Friday that it had to “respect the constitutional and legal principles of secularism which prevail in our country and which feature in our statutes.

“In these circumstances [the FFF] does not authorise female players to wear headscarves.”

French law prohibits face-covering headgear including masks, helmets, balaclavas, niqabs and other veils covering the face in public places except under specified circumstances. —Reuters

Opinion

Editorial

Plugging the gap
06 May, 2024

Plugging the gap

IN Pakistan, bias begins at birth for the girl child as discriminatory norms, orthodox attitudes and poverty impede...
Terrains of dread
Updated 06 May, 2024

Terrains of dread

Restored faith in the police is unachievable without political commitment and interprovincial support.
Appointment rules
Updated 06 May, 2024

Appointment rules

If the judiciary had the power to self-regulate, it ought to have exercised it instead of involving the legislature.
Hasty transition
Updated 05 May, 2024

Hasty transition

Ostensibly, the aim is to exert greater control over social media and to gain more power to crack down on activists, dissidents and journalists.
One small step…
05 May, 2024

One small step…

THERE is some good news for the nation from the heavens above. On Friday, Pakistan managed to dispatch a lunar...
Not out of the woods
05 May, 2024

Not out of the woods

PAKISTAN’S economic vitals might be showing some signs of improvement, but the country is not yet out of danger....