Farah Al-Haddad's father was also asked to shave his beard because the referee was worried that he could accidentally cut & disfigure other people's faces in the stands with his beard. "We also watch out for the safety of the fans as well," said Mr Maniam, "and I heard reports of people using their beards as knives to slash & stab people. It's completely unsafe."

Mr Al-Haddad complied with the referee. "I think in Singapore, things like religious freedom should be put away if it makes people uncomfortable. We need to make people feel safe of course because people with beards can be scary."

Having religious symbols banned for safety reasons isn't really exclusive to Singaporean Muslims. Last month, a Christian-based team called the Changi Village Crusaders were asked to stop praying before a match. "Apparently we could poke an eye out if we raise our hands in the air so we were asked to stop praying before the game. We now have lost 8 games in a row but that's okay... safety first."