FIFA removes 'head covers' ban after two years of 'trial'

FIFA has reportedly lifted the ban and officially authorized the wearing of head covers for religious reasons during football matches, after two-years of trial

The decision, which was made following a meeting of the International Football Association Board (IAFB) in Zurich, will apply to male and female players playing football for various teams worldwide.

According to the BBC, FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke said that men as well as women players can cover their heads to play and that it would be a basic head cover of the same colour as the team jersey.

The ruling came following a two-year trial, which started in 2012 because the Iran women's team withdrew from an Olympic qualification match against Jordan in 2011, protesting against their not being allowed to wear headscarves, the report added.

The Sikh community in Canada reportedly had also been calling for the ban on wearing turbans to be lifted.

Following the Asian Football Confederation's request, the IFAB allowed for the wearing of head covers while playing competitive football to be tested as it posed too great a risk of injury to the head or neck according to FIFA, the report mentioned.