FOOTBALLERS with differences of sexual development (DSD) should be free to play in the female game without restrictions, a new report has recommended.

There appears to be “no legitimate basis” to exclude them, a report produced with support from the Fifa Research Scholarship has said.

The report by Dr Seema Patel, an associate professor in law at Nottingham Trent University, also says medical requirements could not be imposed on DSD players as a condition of participation, because Fifa would be at risk of breaching its own human rights obligations.

In athletics, individuals with DSD are required to lower their testosterone levels below a limit of 2.5nmol/L for a minimum of two years to compete internationally in any female event category.

The Patel report is expected to feed into Fifa’s ongoing work reviewing its policies on gender diversity and the inclusion of transgender women in the female game.

The report advocates for a bottom-up approach in regulation, so that an assessment of transgender participation in the grassroots game is made first, before turning to the elite level.

“This bottom-up technique will facilitate a sharper awareness of how [gender diverse players] are progressing and identify where there are examples of inclusion, exclusion, advantage, safety, risk, injury or access.

“Limiting inquiry to elite competition obscures the reality of the entire landscape of gender diversity in football.”

It also calls for any policies adopted to be regularly reviewed.