Question:
The core question: some players have religious beliefs that conflict with the literal application of Law 4. Is there any guidance from FIFA or USSF for dealing with this situation, particularly for youth matches?
Law 4 states in part:
Basic Equipment
The basic compulsory equipment of a player comprises the following separate items:
…
* shorts – if thermal undershorts are worn, they are of the same main colour as the shorts.
and ATR section 4.4 states in part:
… In addition, goalkeepers traditionally wear items of clothing besides those prescribed under Law 4. These items include soft hats or caps, … training suit bottoms …
…
The referee should prevent any player other than the goalkeeper from wearing an item of clothing or equipment that is permitted to the goalkeeper under these criteria.
[My organization] and possibly other leagues have advised that religious headgear, such as Sikh turbans and Jewish yarmulkes, are to be permitted as long as they are safe for the player himself and for all other players. I expect that a Muslim hijab would fall in the same category, though I’ve not run into that one yet in practice.
We have recently been asked to allow long pants (tights) for female players whose religious beliefs prohibit them from showing skin on the legs in public.
I can foresee controversy regardless of how we respond (e.g. protests of unfair advantage, particularly in cold weather, vs. protests of religious discrimination). I was wondering whether there is any existing policy or guidance from FIFA or USSF in this area.
Answer (June 6, 2007):
Regarding garb required by a player’s religion, we believe that this memorandum of April 1999 (still valid) and the answer of 2004 (including another memorandum from 2002) should answer your question. As to cold weather gear, we have already responded that players may wear tracksuit bottoms, as long as they are uniform for the entire team.
1. To: State Referee Administrators
State Youth Administrators
State Directors of Instruction
State Directors of Assessment
National Instructors
National Assessors
From: Alfred P. Kleinaitis
Manager of Referee Development and Education
Subject: Player Dress
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 headcoverings, the Secretary General of the United States Soccer Federation has given permission to those bound by religious law to wear those headcoverings, 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 that no player 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 the equipment or garment to trap the ball or to distract an opponent.
April 5, 1999
cc: State Association Presidents
2. USSF answer (July 28, 2004): The referee needs to distinguish between issues of safety and issues of “unfair advantage.” There cannot be any weakening of the referee’s authority with regard to player safety. As to any “unfair advantage” that might accrue to the player with religious attire, that is strictly a matter of perception, rather than one of fact. For once, perception is not reality.
We can do no more than emphasize that the position paper of November 22, 2002, cited in full below, is still applicable and that no further position can be taken by the U. S. Soccer Federation. If and when an issue arises on the international level regarding a conflict between the dress of teams from Muslim nations and those of the rest of the world, we will receive guidelines from the International Board and from FIFA.
Subject: Player Dress
Date: November 22, 2002
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 headcoverings, 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 an opponent.
