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Football

Gurpreet Singh asked to remove patka during match; rival team stands in solidarity

15-year-old Gurpreet Singh, a Sikh footballer who plays for Spanish side Arratia C, was at the centre of a controversy.

Gurpreet Singh asked to remove patka during match; rival team stands in solidarity
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Gurpreet Singh (left)

By

The Bridge Desk

Updated: 4 Feb 2023 8:45 AM GMT

15-year-old Gurpreet Singh, who plays for Spanish side Arratia C, was asked by the referee during a match to remove his patka in an unprecedented incident.

The incident took place during Arratia's match against local rivals Padura de Arrigorriaga, according to Instagram page sikhexpo.

"The Arratia players interceded to explain that it is an element linked to his religion, with which he has always played. The referee insisted on his criteria. And both the players and the Arratia coach kept their pulse: they decided to leave the field of play as a sign of solidarity," reads the Instagram post.

The Lavan Guardia newspaper reports that the match referee stance was that the patka was a "hat" and hence was against the rules of the game. However, Singh has had no problems of such confrontation in the past, prior to this game.

"He has been playing normally for at least five years, even in his first year as cadets and so far this season. We have never had the slightest problem. It has been something that has been carried out with absolute normality. The first year we warned that he played like that, and everyone understood it," explained Arratia C President Pedro Ormazabal.

Despite having to face such a situation, Gurpreet's teammates weren't amongst those to leave him alone. The team and the coach stood by the Sikh youngster's side and decided to withdraw from the match.

On Saturday, 4th February, Singh returns to play another game, but we'll have to wait and see whether another such incident crops up.

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