Sikh Leader Praises QSF Decision to Overturn Turban Ban

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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A leader of a national Sikh advocacy group, World Sikh Organization of Canada, has applauded the decision of the Quebec Soccer Federation to reverse its controversial ban on players wearing turbans, although he did say it should’ve come earlier. Prem Vinning mentioned during an interview from Laval, Que on Saturday that the Sikh community in Quebec was “relieved” after the ban was ban annulled, which restricted players from wearing the traditional Sikh turbans, patkas and keskis on the pitch.

Vinning stated that “I think the community is happy and relieved that Quebec children can go back to playing soccer.” Vinning particularly added that he really expected that the Quebec Soccer Federation should have annulled its ban a long time ago, although he added that he is still relieved that they “finally made the right decision”. These comments were made by Vinning only several hours after it was disclosed by the director general of QSF, Brigitte Frot that the organization has decided to reverse its controversial ban at a news conference on Saturday morning.

Frot mentioned during the press conference that the QSF board reached the conclusion of overturning its ban as per the instructions of the sport’s international governing body, FIFA, conveyed on Friday. She stated that “since the beginning we were waiting for official advice that FIFA authorized wearing turbans.” Frot mentioned that “we are very happy that the FIFA responded to our request and by the same token dispelled ambiguities created by a lack of clarification.”