Former Sunderland striker Asamoah Gyan has been found to have “unethical hair” under United Arab Emirates Football Association rules.
Gyan, 31, is on loan at Arabian Gulf League side Al Ahli – based in Dubai – from his Chinese club Shanghai SIPG.
The Ghanaian – currently sporting a mohawk haircut – is one of 40 players to fall foul of the guidelines.
There are precedents for the ruling – Saudi Arabia keeper Waleed Abdullah was recently told to cut his “un-Islamic” hair by the referee before a match.
Suhail Al-Mansoori of Al Wahda was also ordered to cut his perm.
Gyan, who played for Sunderland between 2010-12, captained the Ghana squad at the recent African Cup of Nations and it was his haircut during the tournament that has been found to be unethical.