- Tuesday, February 25, 2025
By: Shubham Ghosh
A 12-YEAR-OLD soccer player of Indian origin was recently sent off the field during a game in Brisbane, Queensland, in Australia for wearing a religious necklace made of basil wood beads (kanthi mala).
Shubh Patel, who is a member of the Toowong Football Club, located in Auchenflower near Brisbane, told Australia’s Channel Seven News that it is against the Hindu tradition to remove the beads necklace.
According to followers of the Swaminarayan sect, a kanthi is a symbol of their surrender to the creator of the universe and it gives them the ultimate feeling of oneness with the Almighty.
A kanthi consists of two lines of beads made of basil (tulasi) wood. One string represents the soul while the other the supreme lord.
Patel, who also feels comfortable wearing the necklace, told Channel Seven News, “If I take it off then at that time God would…like…feel that I have stopped believing in Him.”
The referee told Patel that as per the rules, no beads could be worn during the game.
Under the rules of Fifa, the international governing body in football, a player must not use equipment or wear anything dangerous. Among them are items like necklaces, earrings, leather bands, rubber bands, etc.
When the referee of the game asked Patel to take off his necklace, he responded saying that he would prefer to follow his religion than breaking the tradition just for a soccer game.
“I would rather keep following my religion than like break it…just for one soccer game,” he said.
Some parents present at the ground also requested Patel to take off his necklace but he politely refused.
He then sat on the sidelines to watch his teammates play the game.
Patel had played 15 matches before this game wearing the necklace but not once had he been asked to take it off either by his coach or teammates.
Football Queensland launched a probe into the matter and apologised to Patel’s family and the Toowong club.
In a statement, it said: “Football remains the most welcoming and inclusive sport in Queensland, respectful and embracing of all cultures and religions.”
Patel has been given special permission to play soccer while wearing his religious necklace, Australia Today reported.
