The newest intersection of soccer and cultural controversy has an unusual address — Canada.

The Canadian Soccer Association on Monday suspended the Quebec Soccer Federation, which oversees leagues of all ages in the province, after it refused to comply with a national directive permitting players who wear turbans to participate in games.

A spokeswoman for the national governing body said it sent a memo to all of its local associations in April, affirming its position that turbans and two other types of headwear — patkas and keski — were allowed to be worn by players. That provision was successfully applied everywhere in Canada, the spokeswoman said, except for Quebec; the Quebec Soccer Federation, known as F.S.Q., voted earlier this month to ban such headwear, saying it was concerned that it presented a safety issue.

Brigitte Frot, the director general of the F.S.Q., told reporters last week that she was unaware of any injuries directly caused by players wearing turbans, but believed they should be banned anyway. Asked during a teleconference what she would say to a young child who was unable to play because of the rule, she said: “They can play in their backyard, but not with official referees, not in the official rules of soccer. They have no choice.”

Aneel Samra, an 18-year-old student from Montreal who was affected by the ban on turbans, called Frot’s comments “one of the most disrespectful things I’ve ever heard.”