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German transgender footballers to be allowed to choose to play against men or women
Published 13:39 23 Jun 2022 BST
Homesport
The DFB will allow players to choose freely
German transgender footballers will be allowed to choose if they want to play against women's or men's teams as part of new regulations granted by the German Football Association. The decision comes after the recent blanket ban from world swimming on trans women competing in women's races if the competitor has reached male puberty. However, the DFB have confirmed that trans and non-binary players will be allowed to choose themselves without being denied due to personal identification data, such as birth certificates. A statement from the DFB said: "As it is possible since 2018 for people to register in the civil registry as 'diverse', there has been a rise in the number of people with that status. "This also affects people who play football which made the need for clear rules more important."
The ruling for footballers in Germany who identify as "diverse or no reference" are now included in the DFB's regulations for amateur, junior and futsal competitions.
"At its core this ruling says that players with a personal (gender) status that is 'diverse' or 'no reference' and players who change their gender can take their own decision whether the will be issued an eligibility to play for a men's or women's team," they added.
"This is also the case for transgender footballers who can now change (teams) at a moment they decide or can stay on at the team they have been playing for."
Thomas Hitzlsperger, who is the DFB's diversity ambassador, welcome the decision to introduce the new regulations. He said: "Football stands for diversity, and the DFB is also committed to it.
"By regulating gaming law, we are creating further important prerequisites to enable players of different gender identities to play."
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