UAE footballers' 'unethical' hairstyles don't make the cut

UAE footballers' 'unethical' hairstyles don't make the cut
Forty seven footballers in the UAE's Arabian Gulf League have been reportedly issued letters demanding they cut their hair, due to authorities deeming their styles being 'unethical'.
2 min read
16 Feb, 2017
UAE's star striker Amoory's famous curls is not due for the chop [Getty]
From pop icon David Beckham to Italian star Mario Balotelli, footballers' outlandish hairstyles have been as much a part of the headlines as the goals they've scored.

For foppish footballers who change their hairstyles as often as their cars, a move to the UAE's Arabian Gulf League will probably be out of the question for now.

More than 40 footballers in the Emirates' top-flight have been reportedly warned about their "unethical" haircuts, following a clampdown by the UAE football association against barnets deemed "un-Islamic".

The perm purge has seen al-Wahda midfielder Suhail al-Mansoori being told to lose his locks, Middle East football website Ahdaaf reported.

It was a close shave for the UAE's star striker Omar "Amoory" Abdulrahman whose equally long curls were not banned. 

Rebukes were reportedly issued against mohawk wearing footballers including former Sunderland striker Asamoah Gyan and Leonardo.

The style is said to fall in the "qaza" category of haircuts, when part of the hair is shaved - something prohibited by some schools of Islam.

Others believe that haircuts should be conservative and not draw attention to the wearer.

Authorities are constantly on the look out for threatening haircuts in the Arabian Gulf League, which is watched almost exclusively by Emiratis.

The UAEFA punishes footballers with "unusual or queer haircut or colouring", Emirati website What's On reported.

Footballers with hairstyles for the chop can be fined 3,000 Emirati dirhams ($820) and get a two match ban.

One has to wonder how many footballers in the English Premier League would make the cut with the UAE's zealous hairstyle arbiters.

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