Football in Aceh

Less than a week after the women's world cup football final drew record crowds and global TV audiences,

clerics in a hardline Islamist Indonesian province said

attempts to revive the game in the country were "forbidden" unless men were excluded entirely.

"We are not against female soccer at all, however,

if the facilities are not ready, female soccer is considered haram (forbidden),"

he is a vice-chairman of the Islamic clerical body in Aceh told AFP Tuesday.

Aceh, on the northern tip of Indonesia's Sumatra island,

is the only province in the world's most populous Muslim nation

to officially practice Islamic Sharia law.

Considered the 7th Century landing place for Islam on the archipelago,

it was granted semi-autonomous status in 2001

after decades of rebellion against the moderate national government.

Indonesian sports authorities are attempting to revive the sport among women in the country by forming a national league,

but the Ulema Council in Aceh called on the government to cancel the plan,

citing the lack of facilities for female-only matches.

The council said it should only be allowed if the province had a special stadium

where only women players, match officials and spectators were present,

arguing it would otherwise trigger public anger.

Already in Aceh, some 30 enthusiastic women players have participated in a selection trial, and

a team is due to be picked shortly to represent the province in the national league.

the players had complied with sharia regulation including wearing long-sleeved shirts and head-covering hijabs. 

"They dressed properly in Muslim attire and

they played soccer normally, they did not violate sharia law,"

some young female players had trained for two years

and even participated in regional competitions where they had won a trophy.

Organisers were still trying to convince the clerics and the public that

female soccer does not breach Islamic sharia law,.

"However, we will accept whatever is decided by the local government.

We will comply if they follow the ulemas' recommendation.

Aceh is the only region in Indonesia with Islamic law and

where public flogging is a common punishment

for a range of offences, including selling alcohol, adultery, and gay sex.

Indonesia, is football mad and the top professional men's league

 attracts sell-out crowds of men and women.

On Sunday the United States beat the Netherlands 2-0 in France to win their fourth consecutive women's cup final.

In the US alone, more people watched the match on TV

than watched the 2018 men's world cup final.