Iqra Ismail: Muslim women’s footballer announces she will return to playing football in tracksuit bottoms

Iqra Ismail has revealed she will be returning to playing football while wearing tracksuit bottoms.

The Muslim footballer said earlier this week that she was not allowed to play in a match for United Dragons because she refused to wear shorts, which went against her religious beliefs.

She posted on X on Thursday night, thanking people for their support, adding that she has been talking to senior members of the FA and Middlesex County FA, who have been “really supportive and are actively working to make sure nothing like this happens again”.

“And I am pleased so say, as of this weekend, I will be back on the pitch playing football in my tracksuit bottoms. The journey doesn’t end here. I will continue to do my best moving forward to advocate for other women like me who just want a safe place to play football,” she added.

On Tuesday, the Football Association apologised to Ismail directly after she was told by a referee in a Greater London Women’s Football League match that she would not be allowed on the pitch if she was not wearing shorts.

Ismail, 24, who was named on the 2019 Football Black List and is also a coach, was set to come on for United Dragons as a half-time substitute against Tower Hamlets FC.

After the game, the referee said he had been told at the beginning of the season that referees were not allowed to let anyone play if they were not wearing shorts.

“It’s not something that I’ve ever been through before and it’s not something I’d wish anybody to go through again. It didn’t feel real,” she told Sky Sports News this week.

“I’m the type of person that when I get frustrated, when I get angry, it genuinely brings me to tears because I felt so isolated and bothered.

“I have been playing in this league for almost five years now, wearing tracksuit bottoms, and every year they have made it more and more difficult for women like me to play.”

Earlier in the year, Ismail complained to the FA about the issue and the FA then proactively wrote to all the County FAs and match officials to confirm that women and girls should be allowed to wear clothing that ensures their faith or religious beliefs are not compromised.

Ismail said the support she has received from the FA throughout the year has been positive.