Sports
Ontario Teams Pull Out of Tournament in Montreal, Quebec
CTV NEWS
Two dozen soccer teams from Ontario - the largest province in Canada, and one that shares a border with it -- have been forced to pull out of a tournament taking place this weekend in Montreal.
The move comes after the Canadian Soccer Association suspended the Quebec Soccer Federation over the provincial body's decision to ban players from wearing patkas during games.
The Lac St. Louis Soccer Association says every team coming from Ontario has been informed by their provincial counterpart that they are not allowed to play.
The cross-border controversy goes both ways, with members of a team in Chelsea, Quebec saying that they have been told they are not allowed to play games in Ontario.
The CSA has defended its decision in a written statement, saying "discrimination of any kind is strictly prohibited and punishable by suspension or expulsion."It says the ban violates FIFA regulations concerning headgear, and until QSF complies with international regulations no team in Quebec is allowed to participate in cross-border games.
The turban ban has ignited a firestorm around the world.
The QSF has been asked repeatedly why it is banning patkas when FIFA regulations permit other headgear, including soft helmets worn in professional international competition, and last year FIFA altered its regulations to permit sport hijabs.
Several teams and leagues in and around Montreal have said they will not abide by the QSF's patka ban, and are welcoming Sikh players.
This week every member -- all of them non-Sikh! -- of a team from a Montreal neighbourhood donned patkas during a game to protest the QSF decision
[Courtesy: CTV News. Edited for sikhchic.com]
June 13, 2013
Conversation about this article
1: Harminder Singh (Renton, Washington (State), USA), June 13, 2013, 5:45 PM.
This might teach a lesson to others that we should not discriminate against anyone based on anything. Great! Canadians, keep it up.
2: Sunny Grewal (Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada), June 13, 2013, 9:41 PM.
Hopefully the media will continue present the Sikh-Canadian children as being victims of discrimination rather than instigators. Although it's unfortunate that I should make such a remark, I can see how certain media and spokespersons could twist the issue to present the Quebec Soccer Federation as the victims.
3: Japji Kaur (New Delhi, India), June 14, 2013, 1:58 AM.
Now, this is how a governing body should behave! Thank you, Canadian Soccer Association -- you are a role model to the world. A class act!