Girl with suspected autism, 17, is ‘banned for SIX matches’ after asking ‘bearded’ transgender opponent ‘are you a person?’ throughout soccer match as mother and father hit out at sanction

A girl footballer suspected to have autism has reportedly received a six-game ban having asked a transgender player with a ‘beard’: ‘Are you a man?’

The girl, 17, was found guilty of ‘discrimination’ and her parents have raised concerns about the sanction undermining her and others’ safety.

Transgender female players aged 16 or older are allowed to play against girls and women under FA rules, though the policy from 2007 has been criticised and is being reviewed.

A National Serious Case Panel delivered the verdict after the girl’s comments during a friendly against a trans-inclusive football club in July, though she has denied being transphobic, according to The Telegraph. 

The club complained to Kick It Out, an organisation standing against discrimination in football, and the county FA charged her with saying, ‘Are you a man?’, ‘That’s a man’, ‘Don’t come here again,’ or similar comments.

She will immediately be banned for two games and will serve a four-game suspended ban. It is reported that the girl cried during her half-hour hearing. 

The girl reportedly asked the referee about her opponent’s eligibility, worried for her safety after multiple ‘overly physical challenges’, while the official did not hear anything he considered discriminatory. 

In a statement as part of her defence, the seventeen-year-old claimed she was ‘confused’ as her opponent was not wearing the opposition’s kit and was decked out in ‘jewellery and sunglasses’.

That statement continued: ‘The moment the player clarified they were transgender, I respected their answer fully, dropped the situation and immediately shifted my focus back to the game before seeking guidance from the referee. 

‘At no point was my question meant to be hurtful or malicious as I only intended to seek clarity in an unfamiliar situation. Knowing now that the player was transgender, I understand that there were better ways to approach this question.’

The girl added that she had ‘raised a concern about the risk of a serious injury as a 17-year-old girl playing against a biological male who was much larger than me and a very physical player, which was possibly a safety issue as I did not want to get dangerously injured right before the start of a new season’. 

‘We’ve always taught our daughter to ask questions, and if she doesn’t feel comfortable or she doesn’t feel safe then she should go to somebody in charge and ask the question,’ the girl’s mother told The Telegraph.

‘The FA is essentially saying that no woman, when faced with what appears to be a male on the pitch, is entitled to ask a question.’  

The FA’s current transgender policy is based on a testosterone suppression model, and uses ultimate discretion as to whether a transgender woman can register or not, allowing them to manage them on a case-by-case basis

Blood testosterone levels must be within a specified range and hormone treatment verified annually.

There are no transgender women currently playing in the professional football, or on the pathway for the professional game from any of the Home Nations.

Former culture secretary Lucy Frazer argued that the FA should consider banning transgender players to remove ‘unfair’ competitive advantages. 

‘I think it’s very important that women are able to compete against women and there’s an inherent unfairness, that if you’re not biologically a woman, you have a competitive advantage,’ she said. 

‘And I think a number of sports have looked at this very carefully and come to the decision that it’s not appropriate to have women competing against people who are not biologically women.

‘We’ve seen that in rowing. We’ve seen that in swimming. And I would encourage other sporting bodies to look at that very carefully.’