French Football Federation To Outlaw Hijab Despite Green Light

The French Football Federation said it would "not authorise players to wear a veil" while playing for France or in organized competitions, according to the AFP. A statement by the FFF read, "Regarding the participation of female French national team players in international competitions on one hand, and the organisation of national competitions on the other, the French Football Federation reiterates its duty to respect the constitutional and legislative principles of secularism that prevails in our country and features in its statutes." French lawmaker Gerald Darmanin wrote to Sports Minister Valerie Fourneyron asking that Paris denounce the U-turn "in the name of universal and republican values" (AFP, 7/7).