Question Number: 16885

Law 4 - Players Equipment 9/24/2007

RE: Seledt, comp

Steve Caldwell of San Jose, CA USA asks...

Is there actually a "law of the game" that addresses players tucking in their jerseys before the game? Every ref asks, but I can't find a rule anywhere to support this requirement. Am I missing something?

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

This is addressed in Advice to Referees section 4.1, which says in part, "Players' jerseys must remain tucked inside their shorts, ..."

There are things that FIFA and IFAB feel that "everyone knows", so they are not put into the text of the Laws of the Game. This is one reason USSF created the Advice document, because in the USA not everyone knows. It's not a part of our culture that has been passed down from grandparents to parents to children.

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

When The Game first started to be played in schools in England the young boys were learning to be gentlemen. As they grew to be gentlemen they continued to play at the weekend. Gentlemen kept their shirts tucked in. Simple.

At no place in the Laws of the Game is there anything about the shirt remaining tucked in. In fact there is no mention, any more, about being gentlemanly. There is no mention in the Laws that a sent-off player not being replaced. But these things are still true. Just because we have no historical record concerning The Game of Football doesn't make these facts untrue. In other places the history and traditions of The Game are passed from parent to child.

Regards,

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

There are several sources besides the actual Laws of the Game themselves in which to find authoritative information on how to referee a game. The FIFA website contains the full version of the LOTG, which now has a very useful Additional Instructions section. In addition, there is the USSF's Advice to Referees, which provides a great deal of both practical and explanatory information which can be relied on by USSF referees. The www.ussoccer.com website also has a listing of all of the position papers issued by USSF to assist referees with the finer points in the game. The last time tucking in the jerseys was mentioned in the LOTG (to the best of my knowledge) was in 1997 under the Additional Instructions Regarding the Laws of the Game when it said: "23. Players' outfits - a) The referee shall ensure that each player wears his clothes properly and check that they conform with the requirements of Law IV. Players shall be made aware that their jersey remains tucked inside their shorts and their socks remain pulled up. The referee shall also make sure that each player is wearing shinguards and that none of them is wearing potentially dangerous objects (such as watches, metal bracelets, etc.). b) Players are permitted to wear visible undergarments such as thermopants. They must, however, be the same colour as the shorts of the team of the player wearing them and not extend beyond the top of the knee. If a team wears multicoloured shorts, the undergarment must be the same colour as the predominant colour." You can see that parts of this additional instruction are now incorporated into the language of Law 4, but the part about the jerseys remains something that is "known" because it has always been part of the game. Hope that helps a bit - you won't find everything to do with football/soccer written down in the exhaustive sense like it is in American football or other sports - so it is good that you ask and verify your information - there are a lot of myths flying around out there, too.