FIFA vice-president Prince Ali will urge football’s rulemakers to overturn a ban on Islamic female players wearing hijabs.

The Jordanian prince will make a presentation to the International Football Association Board on Saturday five years after the panel ruled that wearing headscarves in matches was unsafe.

Prince Ali says: “The present situation is saying to women worldwide that you’re not allowed to participate for a reason that makes no sense. That’s prejudice. It’s not fair.”

He insists that permitting hijabs is “not an issue of religious symbolism – it is simple a case of cultural modesty”.

If the motion is rejected, the prince says “there will be lot of soul searching about what the priorities are in this sport”.