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Published on Wed Jun 12 2013

Who knew Quebec Premier Pauline Marois was a fan of the Beautiful Game, in her own special way? She has just rushed breathlessly onto the pitch to take a sharp kick at the Canadian Soccer Association for having the temerity to expect that Sikh kids in Quebec be allowed to play wearing turbans, as kids do all across the country.

The CSA’s decision to suspend the Quebec Soccer Federation for refusing to rescind its wrong-headed ban on Sikh turbans is “unacceptable,” Marois fumed this week. The Quebec organization is “autonomous.” It is not bound by “the Canadian federation,” she said, playing the sovereigntist card. It can “make its own rules.” Besides, she happens to endorse its “orientations.”

Would that be the “orientations” that led Quebec federation chief Brigitte Frot to suggest that turban-wearing Sikh kids go “play in their backyard” instead of in organized teams? What kind of message is that for the 850,000 kids who play soccer in this country? And what image of Quebec does it convey to the world? Kudos to the under-14 team from Brossard near Montreal that donned orange Sikh scarves to protest what they saw as injustice.

The province’s soccer grandees have managed to make themselves look like bigots. They try to justify the indefensible by fretting about Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) safety rules. But FIFA rules don’t ban turbans. As Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau put it, “Barring kids from playing soccer because they wear a turban is wrong.” And on so many levels.

Indeed, Quebec soccer has already scored one humiliating own goal on itself, and is setting itself up for another. Last year FIFA rescinded its absurd ban on girls wearing the Muslim hijab, a ban the Quebec federation fought tooth and nail to maintain and enforce. That left Quebec soccer looking foolish. Now they’re hassling over turbans. Even Quebec officials must know they are not playing a winning game.

Premier Marois may have her reasons for fanning this nonsense into a nationalist cause célèbre. But it is Quebec kids who will suffer. The Quebec federation gets a hefty chunk of its funding from the national organization. And under the suspension Quebec teams may not be allowed to compete out of province; they could be barred from national championships; and games in Quebec may be cancelled for lack of national referees.

It’s worth noting that the CSA can’t force Quebec to comply. In fact Quebec officials have reacted to the suspension by reiterating their ban on turbans, patkas and keskis. Even so, like FIFA the CSA has a moral obligation to try to make sure soccer is accessible to all, in order to expand the game. Quebec’s policy, first for the hijab and now for turbans, bars visible minorities and limits the field. The CSA was right to red-card this unsporting play.

Source: http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/2013/06/12/quebec_soccer_ban_on_sikh_turbans_is_unjust_editorial.html

Kudos to the under-14 team from Brossard near Montreal that donned orange Sikh scarves to protest what they saw as injustice.
Soccer players sport head coverings as they warm up on the soccer field prior to practice of FC Brossard U14AA on Monday June 10, 2013 at Poly-Arena park in Brossard.	Coach Ihab Leheta helps soccer player Shokhab Haydari put on a turban prior to soccer practice on Monday, June 10, 2013 at Poly-Arena park in Brossard.
Soccer player Yiannis Amir, right, with teammates Thomas Plante St-Cyr, left, and Kairbek Mourtazov wear turbans during practice of FC Brossard U14AA on Monday, June 10, 2013 at Poly-Arena park in Brossard.	Coach Ihab Leheta calls out a play to turban-wearing players of the FC Brossard U14AA team, during practice on Monday June 10, 2013 at Poly-Arena park in Brossard.