• Home
• About
• Ask A Question

Question:
During the Concacaf Champions League game between Santos Laguna and the Columbus Crew on Tuesday August 24th a goal for the Crew was disallowed. Renteria, the Crew player who assisted on the goal, was not wearing a jersey with name or number, having had to change it due to the presence of blood. After treatment he was waved onto the field at least twice by the center referee which is clear from replays and the fourth official made no attempt to stop him from entering the field. The goal is scored almost immediately. It is only then that the coaching staff of Santos besiege the fourth official (who is Mexican as well). After a conference between the center and the fourth the goal is disallowed, Renteria is cautioned and has to come off to change his jersey. restart is a goal kick.

USSF answer (September 1, 2010):
Your description of the situation seems to suggest that the game was stopped because the player had no numbers or name on his shirt, not because he entered the game without the referee’s permission. That is a matter regarding the rules of competition, not the Laws of the Game and interpretations thereof, and thus falls outside our competence to answer.

Question:
I thought I saw a memo sometime last year on resending requirement for player’s uniforms sleeves. Is players uniforms must have sleeves?

Thank you

USSF answer (August 23, 2010):
The Laws of the Game require that a player’s jersey have sleeves. No memorandum or position paper on this matter has been issued since 2003.

Question:
I am a Referee Instructor. After watching the Seattle vs Colorado match, a student asked me if MLS does not follow Law 4 in dealing with undershorts. Seattle’s shorts are blue and yet several of their players were wearing knee length green sliding shorts and one player was wearing white. Since they were knee length, it was obvious even on TV that they were not following as we are teach. Not wanting to get into my opinion of the Referee, I answered that I was not intimate with MLS’ Rules of Competition and it could be waved in those. Can you clarify this?

USSF answer (July 26, 2010):
The requirements for the pros are precisely the same as those for all other players. This was an oversight by the refereeing team.

Question:
I am asking this for one of our players in our league. I am presently the president of a club in [my state].

This is for over 30 women division. One of our players wears in the inner lobe of her ear a half circle earring with a small ball on each end and it can only be removed with surgical instruments. It could be easily covered.One referee has refused to let her play while she played before some games with no issues.

Nowadays many younger girls have body piercing and so on .

Question: Would it be less dangerous such an earring than a metal knee brace and what is the rule regarding this kind of earrings.

Thanks for your answer.

USSF answer (June 1, 2010):
Unfortunately for your player, the rules we play by, the Laws of the Game, are clear: no jewelry.

LAW 4 – THE PLAYERS’ EQUIPMENT
Safety
A player must not use equipment or wear anything that is dangerous to himself or another player (including any kind of jewelry).

The rule on no jewelry also applies to items worn as part of body piercings. The only exceptions for “jewelry” are medicalert bracelets and religious items specifically required by the wearer’s religion.

Although the referee on any particular game has the final authority to approve or disapprove any item of equipment as to its safety, that decision must be taken within the Laws of the Game which are quite clear on the subject of jewelry. There are only two acceptable reasons even to consider allowing such noncompulsory equipment — religious or medical reasons — and even there the referee must still determine that the item meets the Law’s safety standard. By tradition and worldwide acceptance, nondangerous wedding bands are also considered acceptable. It does not appear that the item worn by the player in your scenario meets any of the exceptions and so we would expect every referee to be firm in not allowing anyone wearing such an item to be a player.

Question:
Could you help me settle an on-going discussion within our referee board?

Although the rules of the game and most local leagues are clear on adornments worn by players, there appears to be little ever said about adornments worn by referees. Specifically, earrings. Does US SOCCER or FIFA have any directives on this subject? I seem to remember seeing what I thought was an earring on an English Premier League game referee, or was I mistaken?

USSF answer (May 26, 2010):
With the exception of the referee’s watch (and the possible exception of a wedding band), no referee should wear any adornment that is not permitted for players. In other words, NO JEWELRY.

Question:
I am looking for advice on whether a commonly used knee brace may be in violation of Law 4. I’m seeing more and more female players recovering from ACL injuries using a brace similar to the one shown in the attached file. In a game I did yesterday I noticed a brace during checkin. I asked the player and coach if a referee had ever disallowed her from playing because of the brace and the answer was no. At the start of the second half the opposing coach approached me to inquire about the brace. He told me that his players were complaining that they were getting ‘bumped’ by the brace during close in play. No player approached me with that complaint.

Is such a knee brace considered to be dangerous to players?

USSF answer (May 26, 2010):
Braces may be worn if they meet the same requirement that must be met for any equipment, that it ensures complete safety for all participants. The final decision rests with the referee for this particular game; not the last game, not the next game, but this game.

In addition, a player wearing an item of clothing or equipment which is not standard but which has been inspected by the referee and found not to be dangerous may still not use the item dangerously during play. If the player in question is using the brace to unfairly augment her abilities or as a weapon, then it may not be worn.

Question:
Shinguards

Especially at the professional level (MLS), are referees looking to see the players have some type of shinguard on their legs, but nothing more? 

As you are well aware of, Law 4 – The Players’ Equipment states:

Shinguards
-provide a reasonable degree of protection

Two examples of almost no protection would be Colorado’s and former USA International Pablo Mastroeni and Chivas USA’s Blair Gavin (I’m sure there are more).

Again, at what level of play does it not become necessary to provide a reasonable degree of protection? Or is it necessary, even at the professional level, but not always enforced by the referee? Do FIFA referees enforce this law or let it go as trifling and simply make sure everyone has some type of shinguard? 

USSF answer (May 6, 2010):
In general, the decision on the “reasonable degree of protection” is made using The Seven Magic Words, “If, in the opinion of the referee.” Referees must remember that at the professional level, the players and trainers must take responsibility. What is sufficient protection to one, may not be to another.

Question:
I have a question concerning when a player, who has been instructed to leave the filed by the referee for an equipment problem, can return to the field.
LOTG law 4, page 19 states that the player can only re-enter the field when the ball is out of play.
Advice to referees, par 4.6 page 20 states that the player can re-enter the field when the ball is in play as long as the player enters from the touchline. I don’t understand what to do if faced with this situation.

USSF Answer (March 25, 2010:
Several years ago the Federation decided to support a slight divergence between itself and FIFA on this matter, based on a related instruction from FIFA which emphasized the importance of bringing teams back to their full strength as quickly as possible when one of the players was off the field, without substitution, for an injury and, in such cases, the referee could beckon that player to return to the field during play rather than having to wait for a stoppage. Your question inspired us to revisit the matter. The result is that as of this date Advice 4.6 has been amended to read as follows (all original text following the first paragraph remains as it was):

4.6 INCORRECT UNIFORM OR EQUIPMENT
Instructing a player to leave the field to correct an illegal uniform or equipment does not require a report by the referee as this is not a “send-off” for misconduct. The inspection to confirm that the correction has been made is conducted by the referee or, if delegated by the referee in the pregame conference, by the fourth official or an assistant referee if a fourth official has not been appointed. The player must receive a signal from the referee before actually re-entering the field and may do so only during a stoppage.

Question:
When in a match can you wear small white socks over the original colours of your kit like so many players do in the premiership?

USSF answer (February 16, 2010):
In theory, never, unless all players on a side wear them. Each player’s kit (other than the goalkeeper’s) is expected to be exactly like his/her teammates’ kit as regards color and the color of any under- or overgarments. For answers pertaining to the EPL, you should direct your question to the appropriate authorities.

Question:
I have a quick question regarding Stockings and ankle tapes.

http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/affederation/bodies/01/02/18/76/2009-12-ifabagenda2009-e.pdf

Point 3, Law 4.

German DFB has this as a rule that the ankle tape over 1-2cm has to be the same color than the stocking. Yet I don’t see this on any FA player.

Can anyone clarify this, maybe with a link to the IFAB’s decision regarding this?

USSF answer (August 17, 2009):
The item in the IFAB agenda regarding stockings and ankle tapes was simply a proposal by the Scottish Football Association for a change in Law 4. The proposal was not accepted and thus the Law was not changed to include it.

The German Football Federation (DFB) has made its own ruling on ankle tape. This does not apply to other countries nor to international games played in Germany.

Question:
game u13g a player is desinated to kick all free and goal kicks. in doing so she constanly would use her heel of her boot to dig a hole so she would place the ball next to the hole so she would get a good lift on the ball
I could not find any thing on the FIFA rule book that is ok, or not.

USSF answer (July 15, 2009):
Creating a hole either behind the ball or to mound up dirt to create a “tee” is illegal.  While you will find nothing specific to this particular situation in the Laws of the Game, it must not be permitted, and there a number of reasons for that.

The first is the established principle that players may not make unauthorized marks on the field.  Although this is aimed mostly at goalkeepers who scuff lines around their area to assist them in “locating” themselves, there is no functional difference between scuffing lines and digging holes.  Second, digging a hole is potentially dangerous, unless one assumes that the player becomes responsible for immediately “replacing the divot” after the kick is taken.  So for safety reasons this is not allowed.  Third, creating such a hole and tee is a form of “artificial aid” to assist play — and that is considered misconduct (using a teammate’s shoulders, hanging on the crossbar to make the save, trapping the ball with the shirt, etc.).  Fourth, though a bit more of a stretch of logic, if a player cannot move or remove a corner flag for the taking of a corner kick, why would we allow the digging of a hole (or stubbing the toe into the dirt to create a “tee”) for the taking of a free kick?  Fifth, would we allow this for the taking of a penalty kick?  If not, then why would it be allowed for other kicking restarts?

Question:

On 6/16/06, you wrote the following:

“In those competitions that do not provide for water breaks, the spirit of the game requires the referee to ensure the safety of the players. Preventing injury from heat exhaustion would fall into that aspect of the referee’s duties. The answer may be summed up in two words: common sense.

“In fact, both the referee and the team officials share in the responsibility to protect player safety. The referee could, at a stoppage called for any reason, “suggest” the taking of water by any players interested in doing so. The timing of such a break and its length would be at the discretion of the referee. Obviously, the referee could decide to take this approach on his or her own initiative, with or without prior consultation with the coaches.

“However, either or both coaches could approach the referee prior to the match and suggest the need for extra hydration, in which case the intelligent referee would be well advised to listen and act accordingly.”

- -  In the past few days, a referee has claimed that these instructions have now been superseded by the USSF and that a referee cannot suggest a water break or even allow a break when the ball is out of play – no matter how hot the day or how young the players – unless it is in the tournament rules. Is he correct that things have changed or is the opinion from June of 2006 still valid?

I hope that you can address this quickly with the hottest part of summer approaching. The health or even the lives of some young players might be at risk.

Thanks.

USSF answer (July 13, 2009):
The opinion of the United States Soccer Federation remains the same as it was in 2006:  The safety of the players comes first and referees are expected to see to it that players are protected in every way possible.

Addendum:  It is possible that you may have been distracted by some controversy over an incident in a professional game.  Those are adults, playing other adults, all of them aware of what is going on.  Referees are not to order water breaks at professional games and should apply common sense at other levels.