( CNN ) -- World football officials are defending their refusal to allow the Iranian women 's soccer team to wear head scarves while playing in an Olympic qualifying round in Amman , Jordan . FIFA safety rules enacted last year allow women to wear `` a cap that covers their head to the hairline , but which does not extend below the ears to cover the neck , '' according to a statement released by FIFA Monday . Iran 's coach chose to forfeit last Friday 's match with Jordan rather than dressing players in the smaller FIFA-approved head covering . `` Despite initial assurances that the Iranian delegation understood this , the players came out wearing the hijab , and the head and neck totally covered , which was an infringement of the laws of the game , '' FIFA said . Three players on Jordan 's team who wanted to wear hijab scarves for religious reason also sat out the match , FIFA said . The FIFA statement concluded that match officials `` decided to apply correctly the laws of the game , which ended in the match being abandoned . ''
FIFA announced their decision to ban players from wearing hijab ##s during matches . Iran 's women 's team chose to attend match with FIFA rather than remove scarves . FIFA banned the team in 2011 because of potential choking incidents .