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Female Iranian footballer kicked out of National Team for playing without Hijab

The Iranian officials were upset that Shiva Amini played without the mandatory veil - hijab.

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An Iranian female footballer named Shiva Amini was busy holidaying in Europe when she decided to take to the field for a kick-about.

She enjoyed her game and uploaded some photographs of it on social media. Little did she know that the photos would end up irking the Iranian officials because she was playing without the mandatory veil - hijab.

As a result of this violation, she was banned and kicked out of the national team. She played football with a group of men, who represent the Iranian Futsal Federation.

“I never thought that I would one day be prevented from playing for my country because I appeared unveiled and was wearing a pair of shorts in a photo taken on a personal trip outside of Iran,” she told the My Stealthy Freedom women’s rights campaign.

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“This was not even an official game. It seems that for the sports community in Iran, the veil carries greater importance than sport.

“I don’t know what our country’s officials are trying to prove by suspending people like me whose primary pre-occupation is give a better reputation to Iran.”

Ms Amini played for the national women’s futsal team, who play a variant of five-a-side football on hard courts, for four years but has moved into regional teams and coaching since 2009.

She said officials had barred her from any further activity governed by the Iraniain football federation, ruining 13 years of hard work towards her dream of winning an international title.

“Since when have we been required to wear the veil outside of the country?” she asked.

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Ms Amini’s Instagram, with more than 6,300 followers, includes photos of her playing football abroad in shorts with uncovered hair, as well as playing with men – all affronts to conservative officials in Iran.

Women’s dress is subject to strict rules in the country, which employs thousands of “morality” police to ensure they are covered with the hijab and loose clothing, punishing any infractions with arrests and fines.

The veil has been made compulsory by the Iranian government since 1979, since the Islamic Revolution.

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