Question Number: 15443

Law 4 - Players Equipment 5/10/2007

RE: Adult

alfred d gee of manchester, united kingdom asks...

if a professional footballer does not have a number on his shirt what is the ruling will points be lost

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

The Laws of the Game do not address numbers on uniforms. That is up to the rules of each competition.

If the local rules require a player to have a number on his shirt, and he shows up without it, he simply would not be able to play. I'll bet every effort would be made to number his shirt - tape on a number, spray paint it, whatever works. His manager and the team owner would probably have a few choice words to say to him!

Points (I assume you mean in the standings) would not be lost.

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Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

Many times players having blood on a jersey are force to change. What comes out of the bag may have someone else's name and number, just a number or a completely unmarked jersey. This is really nothing if the referee needs to know who he is he'll ask. Law 4 requires a jersey, not a jersey with a specific number.

Regards,

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Answer provided by Referee Steve Montanino

Numbers are not required by the laws of the game. They may be required by the rules of competition for a specific league. In that case, look to the league's by laws to see if there is any punishment that applies to the scenario you've described.

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