Canada celebrates decision allowing turbans in soccer, ending chances of another Quebec roe

When the central international soccer association announced this week that players, including Canadian youths, could wear religious headgear while playing the game, it all but assured Quebec would not wage its annual war on the subject. Canada’s official support for that measure on Monday simply helps to underline that.

On Saturday, the International Football Association Board approved a modification to its equipment policy to clarify that male and female soccer players can wear head covers during the game.

The decision comes after a two-year pilot project studied the safety issues associated with wearing a head covering. The conclusion was that coverings of safety-focused designs are fine.

It was welcome news in Canada, where a nasty debate raged last year that resulted in inter-provincial posturing and some 200 Quebec children and adults being rejected from soccer leagues based on religious grounds.

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On Monday, Bal Gosal, minister of state for sport, congratulated IFAB on the decision, which will come into effect on June 1.

"As I stated last June, we all should be proud of our country’s diversity and the fact that people in our great nation have the opportunity to enjoy participating in the sport of their choice, free from discrimination of any kind," Gosal said in a statement.

"I fully agree with the IFAB that there is no indication as to why the wearing of head covers should be prohibited.

"The Government of Canada is a major supporter of the Canadian sport system and provides funding to eligible national sport organizations to support them in their goal of increasing barrier-free participation and excellence in their respective sports."

The decision will proactively put to be another year of possible controversy in Quebec, where the war over religious headgear has evolved from a debate over children's sports to a matter of cultural acceptance on a grander scale - notably through the values charter.

Last summer, debate over head wear in Quebec soccer leagues complicated matters until the last moment, leaving some players, specifically of Sikh descent, out in the cold after being rejected from provincial leagues.

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The Quebec Soccer Federation said at the time they would not allow head covers because they were not approved by IFAB-FIFA. The provincial association said they would change its stance when the international rules officially allowed the addition to the uniform.

The stance prompted a war of words with the Canadian Soccer Association, which had long approved the measure and called for its provincial counterparts to follow suit. Only Quebec balked, earning itself a temporary suspension. The province conceded the issue in July, after FIFA urged them to take their marching orders from the national level.

By then, some 200 turban-wearing Sikhs had been barred from participating in Quebec soccer leagues. This announcement will all but ensure a similar fight doesn’t happen this summer.

The issue was seen by many to be a “canary in the coal mine” for Premier Pauline Marois and her Parti Quebecois government. Since the province first banned turbans from soccer leagues, the government has introduced a bill that would ban all religious garments from public offices.

The divisive topic is expected to be a key issue in the eventual provincial election. Turban-wearing Quebec soccer aficionados can now return to playing their sport, should they choose, but the political games never ended.

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