DUBAI: A group of 40 footballers, including the Ghana Asamoah Gyan, have been found guilty of having “unIslamic hairstyles” under the United Arab Emirates Football Association guidelines, BBC reported.
31-year-old, Gyan is currently on a season-long loan to Dubai-based Al Ahbi from Shanghai SIPG.
“Some Islamic teachings ban ‘Qaza’ hairstyles, where only part of the head is shaved leaving other parts unshaven,” reports the BBC.
UAE made the restriction because this bizarre haircut is imitated by their fans in schools by following their football stars.
“Individual match referees judge whether player’s haircuts are appropriate. Some match officials in the United Arab Emirates enforce the rules because they are concerned about children copying the styles.”
Gyan, the Ghana’s most capped player and all-time top scorer sported a mohawk style with a ‘W’-shaped design has been warned in a letter to change his inappropriate hairstyle.
https://twitter.com/ahdaafme/status/831556594617966594
According to Middle Eastern football site Ahdaaf, UAE international and 2016 Asian footballer of the year, Omar Abdulrahman exempted from haircut law whereas Al Wahda’s Suhail Al-Mansoori with similar style was told to cut his hair.
https://twitter.com/ahdaafme/status/831591675541716992