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Sikh footballer scores victory, turban allowed on field
Gurinder Dhah, a Calgary-based Sikh soccer player has won the battle of nerves over wearing of turban during play.
It was an unusual battle, and an Indo-Canadian Sikh boy has finally won it. Calgary-based Sikh soccer player has won the battle of nerves over wearing of patka (turban), a religious symbol, during play.
The battle began when the 17-year-old player, a high-school student, was told that he couldn't play in a soccer tournament on the weekend because he wore patka.
The referee told Gurinder that non-soccer related clothing items couldn't be worn on the field. The referee asked him to either remove his patka or leave the game, the South Asian Observer reported.
Taking the second option, Gurinder decided to boycott the tournament his team was playing. He, however, was not alone as the entire team from Calgary's Northwest United stood by him and walked out of the game.
The referee gave a walk-over to the other team. After the match, a bewildered Gurinder said: "I couldn't believe it. That has never happened to me ever before." He praised his teammates' resolution to stand by him.
The incident took place during the Langley Labour Day Tournament in which more than 200 teams from Western Canada competed for the title. The tournament was wrapped up on the Labour Day on Sep 5.
The patka ban on Gurinder created ripples in the Sikh community of British Columbia. The community leaders criticized the decision and demanded that Gurinder be allowed to play.
Gurinder's father, Gurmit Dhah, said no explanation was given why some referees allowed his son to play, while others did not.
"He was very much hurt when he learned he couldn't play, but he had his teammates back him up and he knew, and everyone knew, that it was a wrong decision," he said.
Better sense, however, prevailed as the British Columbia Soccer Association overturned the referee's decision and ruled that Gurinder could play wearing patka. The sports body also issued a statement saying it regretted the incident and would conduct a thorough investigation.
The association said that referees apply their own judgment on interpretation of the rules of FIFA, the international federation for soccer.
One of the rules prohibits any equipment that would be unsafe to players and officials involved in a match. The association's president Victor Montagliani said that the rule didn't apply to religious head coverings.
"BC Soccer has never sent out an edict saying it shouldn't be allowed. Perhaps, there was a misinterpretation and perhaps there were some personalities involved," he said.
