Question Number: 28460

Law 5 - The Referee 5/27/2014

RE: Adult

Francesco of Milano, Italy asks...

Hello,

my question is connected with rule no. 4, even if it doesn't concern directly players' uniforms, but, to be more precise, my jersey...
I started refereeing in April, and I just have one jersey at my disposal (the yellow 'fluorescent' one). Now, how should I behave if this jersey can be confused with the ones from one of the teams (i.e., a yellow shirt)?

Many thanks in advance.

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

Hi Francesco,

The Laws Of The Game require the players to wear a jersey that does not clash with the referees. So, if the yellow jersey is the only jersey you're expected to have in your area, then the team that clashes needs to change.

Some areas I've refereed in require referees to have several coloured jerseys - it may be worth checking if that's the case, as it would be unusual for the football authority to approve a team uniform that clashes with the only referee colour.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Francesco
The referee's jersey should not clash with a team's colours including the goalkeeper. There was a time when the referee wore black only and teams were not allowed to wear black jerseys. That has now all changed with many associations allowing teams to wear black and referees to wear other colours.
In Italy Diadora jerseys came in a number of colours including Black, Yellow, Blue, Red and Pink. The current range colours are Black, Lime Green and Blue
http://www.diadora.com/en/sports-referee-uniforms_22_49

My advice is to look at the colours of the majority of teams in your area and pick two that are unlikely to clash.
I have five colour jerseys to pick from and I will select two for a game that are unlikely to clash with either team. It is always easier for the referee to change rather than a full team. The Laws give the referee powers to insist on a colour change by a team.

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

My recommendation is that you buy at least one other color jersey. The referees in your local association should be able to suggest which color is the most common alternate. Someone in your referee team may have an alternate color in both long and short sleeve, so asking if you can borrow one of theirs is an option.

The technical answer is that the referee has the power to require that the team change its jersey so that it does not conflict. But, that is rarely the wise thing to do. Teams know that referees have more than one color available to them, and will not respond well to a demand that 18 players change their jersey because one referee lacks an alternate color.