A British Sikh footballer of an amateur team in England was asked by the referee to remove his bandana, which he wears in lieu of a turban, PTI reported.
Gurdeep Mudhar, playing for Leicester Nirvana, was ordered to take his religious headwear off ahead of his team’s match at Huntingdon Town Football Club last month.
The 21-year-old’s team-mates reacted by refusing to go on to the pitch without him, forcing the referee to eventually back down.
“He (Gurdeep) always plays in the bandana,” Zak Hajat, the first team secretary, was quoted as saying. “It’s never been a problem anywhere else but the referee went up to him and said, ‘You’re not playing in that’. I think it was more out of ignorance because he didn’t know the rules rather than anything else.
“But it was embarrassing for him. The other players were right behind him - if he’s not playing we’re not,” Hajat added.
Gurdeep went on to score both Nirvana goals in a 2-1 victory in the match on January 21. The club has since made a complaint to the Football Association about the referee.
