We Spoke to a Sikh Soccer Player About Quebec’s Stupid Turban Ban

Photos by Harjinder Atwar.

If you haven’t heard already, wearing turbans in Quebec soccer leagues is now strictly prohibited. Given that FIFA has just come out to say they truly do not give a shit whether people wear turbans or not, the soccer illuminati in Quebec are looking pretty silly right now. I guess, to them, turbans are really really dangerous for everyone on the pitch and maybe even the spectators, because presumably the turban might fly off and land in someone's mouth and choke them to death.

The Quebec Soccer Federation (QSF) recently announced they would maintain the decision made last year to ban turbans from the soccer pitch, thus dveout Sikh men and children, yes, even four year-olds, can’t play in a soccer league. This decision was initially based on an ambiguous FIFA law about dangerous equipment.

The decision has sparked response from political, sporting, and religious groups across Canada. The Canadian Soccer Association (CSa) have stepped in, banning any Quebec teams from playing in competitions outside of Quebec leagues until the QSF reverses their decision—meaning no international, national, or inter-provincial games can take place, even if they’re suppose to happen in Quebec.

For some reason Pauline Marois, the Parti Quebecois leader and Premier of Quebec, has chimed-in in support of the QSF. She basically thinks the CSA should mind their own business, even though the national organization has always been in favour of turban wearing soccer players. Because, why wouldn’t they be? Of course, Marois’s support is not really a surprise, given that her sole purpose is to preach the autonomy of Quebec.

But this isn’t the first time the Quebec government has caused a stink over religious garb. The provincial government banned kirpans form the National Assembly in 2011; meanwhile a soccer referee was told she couldn’t wear a hijab while refereeing a soccer game. Last year, a nine year-old girl was sent off the pitch for wearing her hijab despite a FIFA ruling that a sport-friendly hijab could be worn.

The QSF’s ruling is based on the possibility of danger that a turban presents during a soccer game despite no sport-related injuries involving turbans were ever reported at the Montreal Children’s Hospital. But are there really no situations whatsoever where a turban could be dangerous? To really get to the bottom of this turban turmoil, I called up Harjinder Atwar, the President of the Sikh Soccer Association in Brampton, Ontario and asked to ask him what he thought about this scandal.

VICE: So how long have you been involved with the Sikh Soccer Association?
Harjinder: I've been running the league for 13 years.

Have you ever had any difficulties with wearing a turban during a match?
No, not at all.

What kind of incidents could arise? 
I haven't seen anything happen. But sometimes people have difficulty heading the ball.

Right. That’s a problem—but you’re only harming your own ability to execute a sweet header. How can you work around that?
Well, we can put on a smaller turban, then there’s no problem at all. I have some boys who play in the Ontario provincial leagues and they have no problems with heading or anything.

Could it be an unfair advantage? I mean, it could give the player a bit of extra height when going up for a header, no?
No. No not at all because you're heading with you forehead, not with the turban.

What about instances where the turban unravels? Couldn't that get caught around someone neck and choke them out?
No. Never, like I've been running the club for 13 years and I've never ever had any difficulties or anything.

What about the turban getting caught in the goalie’s net? Ever seen that?
Never.

How is the turban tied down? Is there a pin or anything? Could the pin be dangerous?!
No it's tied at the back. There's no pin.

What if a player had really long hair that didn’t fit under his turban so when he ran around his hair whipped around and hit people in the eye?
No, no, not at all. A lot of kids who play soccer have long hair and they use a headband and that's allowed.

So this is probably obvious, but what's your opinion on what's happened in Quebec?
I never see any problems or difficulties from turban wearing soccer players. I don't know why they banned turbans. Soccer is probably the cheapest game. Immigrant people can play. If you play hockey or something it's so expensive, a lot of people can't afford it. That's why soccer is the best game and everyone should be able to play it.

What would you do if you were living in Quebec right now?
In my opinion? I would open my own club and Sikhs can come play better soccer than everyone else, to prove my point.

Is there any situation whatsoever where a turban could cause problems on the pitch?
No I don't think so. You might have problems with the big turban. There are two kinds of turbans, if you're wearing a big turban then yeah, you might have problems. But, the small bandanas, you will have no problems at all because if you wear a big turban you can't even run. All the soccer players just wear a small turban.

So no one would play in a big turban?
No not at all.

I wonder if someone who's inexperienced, playing in a house league would wear a bigger turban?
No. In my experience I've never seen a person wear one. It's too hard; it's hard to run, because it can fall off.

The turban could?
Yeah, the big turban.

Want to talk about it? Reach Ken on Twitter: @kjrwall

More on Quebec's problems:

The Murderer Who Escaped in Montreal Is Still Missing

Teenage Riot: Montreal - Part 2