Saudis act against anti-Islamic footballer haircuts

Riyadh: Saudi sports authorities are taking action against footballer hairstyles deemed to be anti-Islamic in the ultra-conservative kingdom, local media reported.

The head of the kingdom`s youth organisation Tuesday asked its sport federations and Olympic committee to "ban the qazaa phenomenon", using an Arabic name for eccentric styles often sported by footballers, the website www.arriyadiyah.com reported.

Such haircuts are against Islam and Saudi traditions, one commentator wrote in the newspaper Al-Jazirah on Friday, urging the country`s football federation to "impose sanctions" on offending players whose "bizarre haircuts are imitated by their fans in schools".

Saudi Arabia, where many foreign professional footballers play for local teams, applies a strict version of Islam based on the teachings of 18th century Sunni preacher Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Wahhab.