BY JAMES ROSS – FAN FUEL BLOGGER
Recently, it has come to pass that the Quebec Soccer Association, the provincial body which governs non-professional soccer in the province of Quebec, has made the decision to not allow turban wearing youths to play soccer in the province. I’ll get into the rationale in a second, but first a bit of factual background on this issue.
In mid-April of this year, the Canadian Soccer Association made the ruling that would allow the wearing of turbans during soccer matches, based primarily upon the fact that a cloth piece of headgear, if affixed with non-metallic attachments, won’t do any other player harm, nor should it accentuate the actions of a player in any way to give them an advantage.
This was an extension of FIFA policy, as FIFA had (in September of 2012) allowed the use of head scarves by women, while playing soccer, while FIFA itself studied the issue.
I have heard of some turbans being affixed with metal pins but, really, it’s up to the referee to do a quick check beforehand, much like referees already often check knee braces, or jewelry items. Depending upon the level of competition, referees even check to make sure there are no metal studs on the bottom of anyone’s cleats. And it would make little sense to use metal pins to affix a headscarf on a soccer pitch, as the player wearing them would be just as open to injury as an opponent.
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In short, it’s a rather non-contentious issue. The key aspect of these policies is, to reiterate, player safety first, and gaining an unfair advantage second. The general consensus is that there is no advantage to be gained by wearing a headscarf, nor is it hazardous to anyone else on the pitch.
So, earlier this week, after announcing the headscarf ban during soccer matches in the province of Quebec, the director-general of the Quebec Soccer Association Brigitte Frot addressed the media concerning this issue. The key statement from the press conference, and the one I would like to specifically dissect, is this one:
“They can play in their backyard. But not with official referees, not in the official rules of soccer. They have no choice.”
I often wonder how someone whose title is “director-general” can make a statement like this in a telephone press conference, when she should at least be wise enough to realize she is talking to a number of people who are intensely involved in the sport, and they would see the statement, in its simplest terms as being factually inaccurate.
FIFA don’t have an official policy on headscarves but, as articulated earlier, they are adopting a soft approach to dealing with it. The CSA mirrored this stance and offered their policy, which is in accordance with the direction of FIFA’s position. There is no good reason for the Quebec Soccer Association to have their own policy in place. The policy has nothing whatsoever do to with “official referees” or “the official rules of soccer”, or anything to do with soccer. Period. It’s misinformation.
One final thought. While leaning on a single statement can give someone a myopic view of the overall intent of a press conference, I have to look at the implication from part of the first statement “play in their backyard.” One of the wonderful things soccer does, as the world’s most popular sport, is to help break down barriers via the inclusive nature of the sport itself. Anyone can play, as equipment is relatively simple. It’s played by both genders with almost equal representation in this country from coast to coast. It’s even nicknamed “the beautiful game.”
To Brigitte Frot and the Quebec Soccer Association, this is not indicative of “the beautiful game.” You’ve got a chance, in the next few weeks, to remind us of what a wonderfully diverse place the province of Quebec is. And to save face. Perhaps take the opportunity to change your policy, as Marco Di Vaio takes his opportunities, whilst playing for L’Impact de Montreal. And Di Vaio takes his opportunities very well.