Soccer Players with Ponytails Banned


TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran has banned soccer players from sporting ponytails
and sculpted beards as part of a campaign to prevent the spread of Western
culture in the Islamic state, a soccer federation official said on Thursday.

The federation said those who defied the order ran the risk of being banned
from the game.

"Soccer players with ponytails, hair-band and sculpted beards will be
banned from playing or will be fined," Navid Majd, head of the federation's
public relations office, told Reuters.

The ban does not apply to long hair.

"The Prophet Mohammad had long hair. We have no problem with it," Majd said.

Some newspapers reported recently that at least two soccer players in the
Iranian professional league had received warnings because of their
"inappropriate" hair style. But Majd denied it.

Many Iranians are obsessed with soccer, and soccer players are considered
role models for younger fans.

"We should respect our culture, especially our sportsmen," Majd said.

Since the 1979 Islamic revolution, conservatives have continually tried to
hold back the tide of Western cultural influence and promote Islamic values.

A crowd of 110,000 watched a match between Iran and Germany in Tehran
earlier this month. Iranian women were not allowed to see the match after
the football federation upheld a ban on them entering stadiums even though
women are the Islamic country's most passionate fans.

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