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Law 4 - The Players' Equipment (Shinguards)
According to Law 4, a player must not use equipment or wear anything which is dangerous to himself or another player. Shinguards are a compulsory item of the player's basic equipment. The Laws requires that shinguards provide a reasonable degree of protection. According to Law 5, it is the referee's duty to "ensure that the players' equipment meets the requirements of Law 4."
May 14, 1999 |
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 Player Dress |
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According to Law 4, The Players' Equipment, a player must not use equipment or wear anything which is dangerous to himself or another player. The basic compulsory equipment of a player is a jersey or shirt, shorts, stockings, shinguards, and footwear. There is no provision for a player to wear a skirt or similar clothing.
However, in an analogous situation, in respect of certain religions that require members to wear head coverings, the Secretary General of the United States Soccer Federation has given permission to those bound by religious law to wear such head coverings, usually a turban or yarmulke, provided the referee finds that the headgear does not pose a danger to the player wearing it, or to the other players. This principle could be extended to other clothing required of members by their religion.
Since the referee may not know all the various religious rules, players must request the variance well enough ahead of game time by notifying the league. The league will notify the state association, which will pass the information on to the state referee committee. The state referee committee will make sure that the referees working that league's matches are informed.
The referee is still bound by the requirements of Law 4 - the player must not use equipment or wear anything which is dangerous to himself or another player, or use this equipment or clothing to circumvent the Laws of The Game. An example would be the use of equipment or garments to trap the ball or to distract the opponent.
May 14, 1999 |
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| Goal Keeper Uniforms with Numbers |
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The Laws of the Game do not mention, much less require, that players display numbers anywhere on their jerseys. This same is true for goalkeepers. Law 4 (The Players' Equipment) states only that "a jersey or shirt" is "compulsory equipment" for players and that "each goalkeeper wears colors (a jersey) which distinguish him from other players, the referee and the assistant referees."
Any further requirement related to player uniforms is left to the discretion of national associations, leagues, or tournaments in their "rules of competition" which must be studied by referees prior to officiating any affiliated match. Although the wearing of standard team colors and unique numbers on player shirts is common throughout the soccer community, and especially in the USA, it is equally common for goalkeeper jerseys to be excepted. The United States Soccer Federation leaves such matters to the discretion of the state association, leagues or tournaments. |
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| Question: Players often wear orthopaedic braces on their knees after ACL surgery. Do all of these come with protective sleeves and, if not, what is acceptable padding? What about the new athletic type with a rubberized outside but is still hinged? |
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| Answer: There are no established standards for protective athletic equipment for soccer and the National Referee Development Program Office does not maintain an extensive database on such equipment. This equipment does not fall within the list of items prescribed in Law 4 for compulsory player equipment: jersey or shirt, shorts, stockings, shinguards, and footwear. Because of that, the referee must be guided by the first paragraph of Law 4, "Safety," which reads: "A player must not use equipment or wear anything which is dangerous to himself or another player (including any kind of jewelry)." Some devices come with existing protection over the hinges, struts, and caps of the hinged knee braces, and some do not. All such areas should be padded. If the device is well padded, it may pass the inspection of the referee in charge of the match in which the athlete participates, but each game situation is unique, just as each referee is unique. We cannot guarantee that every referee will accept a brace, even with padding, despite the fact that the referee in the previous game may have allowed the athlete to participate. |
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| Question: May referees wear caps and sunglasses? |
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| Answer: With regard to caps, the policy of the United States Soccer Federation was stated in the Spring 1994 issue of Fair Play magazine: "Under normal circumstances, it is not acceptable for a game official to wear headgear, and it would never be seen on a high level regional, national or international competition. However, there may be rare circumstances in local competitions where head protection or sun visors might sensibly be tolerated for the good of the game, e.g. early morning or late afternoon games with sun in the officials' line of sight causing vision difficulties; understaffed situations where an official with sensitive skin might be pressed into service for multiple games under strong sunlight or a referee who wears glasses needing shielding from rain." Sunglasses would be subject to the same considerations. In addition, we ask referees to remember that sunglasses have the unfortunate side effect of suggesting that the referee or assistant referee is severely visually impaired and should not be working the game. They also limit communication between the officials and the players by providing a barrier against eye-to-eye contact. Sunglasses, if worn, should he removed prior to any verbal communication with players. |
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| Question: If the player has a religions necklace or bracelet, is it acceptable for the said jewelry to be taped down so that it is not exposed/in harm's way? |
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| Answer: Under Law 4, all items of jewelry are normally considered dangerous: however, referees should consider carefully any item of clothing or jewelry that is clearly religious or medical in nature and permit it to be worn if it is not dangerous and not likely to provide the player with an unfair advantage. Taping the religious or medical jewelry down is recommended to protect both the wearer and other players. As regards other garments, such as headcoverings, they are not allowed under the terms of Law 4. However, in respect to certain religions, the Secretary General of the United States Soccer Federation has given permission for those bound by religious law to wear headcoverings, usually a turban or a yarmulke, provided the referee finds that the headgear does not pose a danger to the player wearing it or to other players. Since the referee may not know all the various religious rules, players must request the variance well enough ahead of game time by notifying the league. The league will notify the state association, who will pass the information on to the state referee committee. The state referee committee will make sure that the referees working that league's matches are informed. At present, no other forms of religious garb are permitted for wear by players on the soccer field. |
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| Question: Are black shorts with colored inserts acceptable? |
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| Answer: No. Only plain black shorts are acceptable. Our aim is to avoid unnecessary expense for the referee, and to ensure that the whole team is dressed identically. |
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| Question: Is a long-sleeved shirt in gold with black stripes with black cuff acceptable? How about the same shirt in short sleeves? |
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| Answer: The long-sleeved gold shirt with black stripes may have solid black cuffs; however, the short-sleeved gold shirt with black stripes may not have black cuffs. |
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| Question: Is a gold shirt with white collar and cuffs acceptable? |
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| Answer: No. The only acceptable design is a gold shirt with black stripes with black cuffs on the long-sleeved version and no cuffs on the short-sleeved version. |
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| Question: Must the gold, red, and black shirts have the U. S. Soccer Federation logo on the sleeve? |
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| Answer: No, the gold, red, and black shirts with the U. S. Soccer Federation logo on the sleeves are the official shirts of the Federation; however, a shirt identical in design and colors without the logo on the sleeve is acceptable. |
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