Afghan News Roundup for March 2014 is compiled by Elayne Jude for Great North News Service
On the playing fields of Khorasan
FIFA and the International Football Association Board have lifted a ban on female players wearing head coverings.
Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa, president of the Asian Football Confederation, praised the decision. Officials in Afghanistan and Pakistan assume that the ending of the ban will result in more orthodox Muslim women competing in sports.
Head scarves were banned because of fears that players who wore them risked injury to their head or neck. New designs with safety features began testing in 2012.
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