Quebec soccer federation scraps controversial turban ban after FIFA ruling

By The Canadian Press
June 15 2013 07:08 AM

CP23828405 — Quebec Soccer Federation (QSF) Executive Director Brigitte Frot speaks to reporters at a news conference in Laval, Que., Saturday, June 15, 2013, to announce the lifting of a ban on turbans on Quebec soccer fields. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

MONTREAL – Quebec’s soccer federation is ending its much-criticized turban ban.

The organization made the announcement one day after soccer’s world body said wearing turbans on the pitch was acceptable.

The ban prompted the Canadian Soccer Association to suspend the Quebec Soccer Federation earlier this week.

The Quebec organization had cited safety issues for its controversial move as well as the fact the garments were not endorsed by FIFA.

The ban had become a political football. The Parti Quebecois government supported the federation’s position, while many federal politicians slammed it as exclusionary.

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