Zurich, Switzerland (June 14, 2013): It is learnt that Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) has sent a letter to the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) on 13 June 2013 to inform the CSA that:
Following communication between the CSA and FIFA, the matter related to Law 4 – The Player’s Equipment, the use of head covers and the situation arisen within the CSA has been presented to the members of the International Football Association Board (IFAB) for discussion.
The IFAB has exceptionally agreed to extend the conditions of the current experiment previously approved by IFAB in October 2012 (as per FIFA circular no. 1322), and to allow male players in Canada to wear head covers as well, as long as the following conditions are respected:
The head cover must:
• be of the same colour as the jersey
• be in keeping with the professional appearance of the player’s equipment
• not be attached to the jersey
• not pose any danger to the player wearing it or any other player (e.g. opening/closing mechanism around neck).
The letter sent by FIFA to the CSA on 13 June 2013 authorises the CSA to permit all players to wear head covers as described above, in all areas and on all levels of the Canadian football community.
This matter will once again be discussed by the IFAB in October 2013, before a final decision is reached at the next Annual General Meeting of the IFAB, taking place in March 2014.
It is notable that Quebec Soccer Federation’s decision to ban Sikh children from playing soccer while wearing a head-scarf/patka/keski, has triggered a serious debate. In wake of the turban ban imposed by QSF, the Canadian Soccer Association has suspended QSF.