Three years after football’s pandemic-delayed Euro 2020 turned from optimism to racism in England, three Muslim women who were symbols of that summer are still seeing both sides of the coin.
It was a stereotype-shattering time, as Shaista Aziz, Huda Jawad and Amna Abdullatif gained viral fame as Muslim women cheering on an England men's team that spoke about social justice – and even reached a major final.
“It was a bit of a revelation that three Muslim women in hijab knew something about football,” recalls Ms Aziz. “We knew what the offside rule is. Who knew that, right?”
But the uplifting mood was punctured in the final when three black England players were abused for missing penalties against Italy, leading the three women to start a petition demanding life bans for racists.
Fast forward to next week's Euro 2024 and the Three Hijabis, the name they use as they campaign for equality in football, work with clubs and schools and support victims of racism, say progress in the game has been mixed.
They are braced for an ugly side of the Euros as host country Germany witnesses a rise in racist violence and far-right rhetoric, partly linked to the Israel-Gaza war.
The Paris 2024 Olympics will be another focal point as they host a workshop in the French capital on gender, anti-Muslim hatred and a ban on French athletes wearing the hijab.
Before the Euros they are reaching out to anti-racism activists and community groups to offer support in case tensions spill over.
After all, football is only a mirror of wider society, Ms Aziz said when The National met the trio at Wembley, the scene of the penalty misses at Euro 2020, which was postponed to 2021 by the pandemic.
The three unlucky players, Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka and Jadon Sancho, had all spoken out on equality at a time of Black Lives Matter protests around the world.
England manager Gareth Southgate has been praised, including by the Three Hijabis, for creating a positive, inclusive atmosphere around a team that was once a byword for hooliganism.
Such activism can come at a cost, with Rashford repeatedly being harangued by fans and told to “focus on football” after his form for Manchester United dipped.
Taking a knee before kick-off as a stand against racism has been cut back to certain weekends in the Premier League, while remaining more common in the women’s game.
“I think football has really started to acknowledge that it has a role to play in relation to tackling inequalities,” said Ms Aziz, but “overwhelmingly it’s individual footballers" who are taking up this work, as opposed to football itself.
“What we want to see is systemic, long-term, courageous and brave change coming from football, because it has a big part to play in tackling these issues in society.”
Muslims at Man City
Some of the good and bad news was on display to the Three Hijabis on a recent trip to the Etihad Stadium to watch the Manchester derby.
Joining them at the Women’s Super League game were about 150 young Muslim women, many of whom had never been to a match before.
The sight of Muslim girls praying while wearing Erling Haaland shirts felt a good illustration of reclaiming football from the bigots.
Another record-smashing season has just ended for attendances in the WSL, in which Manchester City came a close second to Chelsea.
Still, the boom in the women’s game has not erased inequality and a lack of diversity in the England squad has not gone unnoticed.
There’s a lot of investment of Muslim women and Muslim girls ... but it’s not just translating beyond grassroots football
Amna Abdullatif,
anti-racism campaigner
When City invited the Three Hijabis to speak to the young fans, they heard plenty of things that still make Muslim girls wary.
They were told of concerns around racism, revealing wear and coaches not familiar with the sensitivities.
In the “cultural barriers” often cited to describe reluctant parents they tend to see legitimate concerns.
Young fans at the derby reported the “fear of their families” that they would face anti-Muslim hatred, said Ms Abdullatif.
“What we’re seeing is that there’s a lot of investment of Muslim women and Muslim girls in the grassroots game, but it’s not just translating beyond grassroots football,” she said.
“That is the role of the FA, the Premier League, the institutions of football, but also the clubs, in terms of what they need to be doing in order to ensure that young girls from our communities are able to access the game.”
Campaigning work
The three women like to see themselves as having a foot in both camps, as Muslim women and regular fans who also talk to football bosses and politicians.
All three are daughters of Muslim immigrants. Ms Jawad was born in Iraq. Ms Abdullatif moved from Libya as a child. Ms Aziz grew up in Oxford, where she was sat on the city council until recently.
During Ramadan the trio were invited to a Wembley iftar, at which the FA spoke of its interest in connecting faith and football. England boss Southgate sent a video message.
They have not always had an easy time with administrators, telling MPs last year that the FA showed “disrespect and defensiveness” over the Euro 2020 racism petition.
A law change led to a fan being banned from all football grounds for three years in 2023 for abusing Brentford’s Ivan Toney, although not barred for life as the petition had called for.
“One of the biggest things that we feel has changed is how everyone is willing to talk about equality and diversity in sport,” said Ms Jawad.
She said it would help if the UK had an agreed definition of anti-Muslim hatred, so that young women and girls feel an allegation of racism would be taken seriously.
“There’s a real fear and misunderstanding of being called an Islamophobe or a racist, because no-one knows exactly what that is, and so that makes interacting on this issue really difficult,” she said.
“How does the system of football prevent Muslim women from taking part? If we can begin to have that conversation, we can look at ways of removing these barriers.”
Far from seeing the political leadership they would like, the three women have been dismayed by how British Muslims – and football – have been made the subject of culture wars and electioneering.
Ms Aziz was the first Labour councillor in the country to resign over the war in Gaza, after leader Keir Starmer suggested it was valid for Israel to cut off water and power from Palestinians.
With Euro 2024 and the UK’s general election campaign both reaching a finale in early July, her hope is that the summer of sport can show the “best of humanity” at a hard time for Muslims and the world.
She would like to see athletes given licence to speak out about Gaza, or other issues close to their heart – usually a tough prospect with authorities wanting to appear neutral.
“Sport has an opportunity to show the human spirit, to show how incredible our bodies are, and what we can achieve, and I think it’s got a way of uniting people.
“What I’m looking for in the summer of sport is for that unity to take place – not for sportswashing, not for any attempts to pretend that the horrors that are taking place in Gaza and elsewhere in the world are not taking place.
“There are going to be athletes there, playing football, at the Olympic Games, who come from these countries, who have family and friends in these countries.
“If they consciously object to what’s going on, which I do hope they do, I am looking for the International Olympic Committee and the footballing authorities to stand by them – to not fine them, to not silence them, but to stand by them.”
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Vaccine Progress in the Middle East
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Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
The specs: Aston Martin DB11 V8 vs Ferrari GTC4Lusso T
Price, base: Dh840,000; Dh120,000
Engine: 4.0L V8 twin-turbo; 3.9L V8 turbo
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic; seven-speed automatic
Power: 509hp @ 6,000rpm; 601hp @ 7,500rpm
Torque: 695Nm @ 2,000rpm; 760Nm @ 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 9.9L / 100km; 11.6L / 100km
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What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
The Kingfisher Secret
Anonymous, Penguin Books
Leading all-time NBA scorers
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 38,387
Karl Malone 36,928
Kobe Bryant 33,643
Michael Jordan 32,292
LeBron James 31,425
Wilt Chamberlain 31,419
RESULTS
Argentina 4 Haiti 0
Peru 2 Scotland 0
Panama 0 Northern Ireland 0
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
