கனடா கால்கரி: பர்தா போட்டுகொண்டுதான் புட்பால்

பெற்றோர் வற்புறுத்தலால், பர்தா போட்டுக்கொண்டு புட்பால் விளையாட பெண் வற்புறுத்துகிறார்.

இது மற்ற விளையாட்டு வீரர்களுக்கு ஆபத்தானது என்று கோச் மறுக்கிறார்.

இவ்வாறு கோச் மறுப்பது தவறு அவர் மன்னிப்பு கேட்கவேண்டும் என்று பர்தாபெண்ணின் பெற்றோர் வற்புறுத்துகிறார்கள்.

Soccer player's hijab sparks ejection
Referee sends Calgary teen off the field
Sean Myers, Calgary Herald
Published: Monday, November 26, 2007

The family of a 14-year-old girl is demanding an apology from a referee who refused to allow her to play indoor soccer while wearing a religious headscarf.

But the head of referee development for Alberta's governing soccer body says wearing hijabs can pose a threat to player safety.

Safaa Menhem arrived late in the first half of her game with the Chinook Phantom under-16 girls team at the Calgary Soccer Centre on Saturday. After her first shift in the game, the referee told the coach she couldn't play if she wore her hijab.


The Calgary girl said Sunday she couldn't understand why she was not allowed to play.

"I was very embarrassed," she said. "I felt very hurt. I was confused because I've been playing for five seasons and nothing like this has ever happened."

At halftime, the rest of the team -- with the support of parents in the stands -- threatened to forfeit the game in protest, but Safaa urged them to continue playing.

"She walked off the field with her head down in tears thinking she'd done something wrong, which she hadn't," said her eldest brother, Hekmet Menhem, 27, who may face disciplinary action for confronting the referee on the field.

"The look I saw on her face when she came off killed me. That's when I snapped."

Assistant coach Andre Giesbers was behind the bench while the head coach was out of town taking in the Grey Cup.

He said Safaa has played five games this season without incident.

"The ref said it was for safety reasons," said Giesbers. "He told me we could get a letter from Calgary Minor Soccer allowing her to play. So I asked him to let her finish the game and we would get the letter for next week's game, but he wasn't flexible. He said, 'I made the call.'

"She's been playing since the beginning of the year without any problems. We need to get this fixed so she plays next week with her headscarf on."

In February, a girls soccer team made up of Grade 6 students from Nepean, Ont., forfeited a tournament in Laval, Que., when one of the players was ordered by a referee to remove her hijab. Four other teams from Ottawa also forfeited their games in protest.

The referee's decision was upheld by the Quebec soccer federation.

Two years ago, a Calgary Sikh teenager was ejected from a tournament in Langley, B.C., for refusing to take off his patka, a type of headscarf that sits on top of the head.

In that case, the B.C. Soccer Association ruled that the referee was in error and that players are free to wear religious headgear such as turbans.

Gary Roy, the referee development officer with the Alberta Soccer Association, said he supports the decision the Calgary referee made on Saturday.

"This is definitely not about religion, far from it. It's about safety," said Roy. "And it's not a discretionary call. Referees are specifically trained in what is permitted and what is not permitted."

Roy noted that the Canadian Soccer Association upheld the Quebec decision and the international governing body, FIFA, has ruled that no headgear is permitted to be worn during games.

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