Law 4 - The Players Equipment

Safety

A player must not use equipment or wear anything which is dangerous to himself or another player (including any kind of jewellery).

Basic Equipment
The basic compulsory equipment of a player comprises the following separate items:

* a jersey or shirt
if undergarments are worn, the colour of the sleeve should be the same main colour as the sleeve of the jersey or shirt
* shorts - if undershorts are worn, they are of the same main colour as the shorts
* stockings
* shinguards
* footwear
Shinguards

* are covered entirely by the stockings
* are made of a suitable material (rubber, plastic, or similar substances)
* provide a reasonable degree of protection

Goalkeepers

* each goalkeeper wears colours which distinguish him from the other players, the referee and the assistant referees

Infringements/Sanctions
For any infringement of this Law:

* play need not be stopped
* the player at fault is instructed by the referee to leave the field of play to correct his equipment
* the player leaves the field of play when the ball next ceases to be in play, unless he has already corrected his equipment
* any player required to leave the field of play to correct his equipment, does not reenter without the permission of the referee
* the referee checks that the player’s equipment is correct before allowing him to reenter the field of play
* the player is only allowed to re-enter the field of play when the ball is out of play

A player who has been required to leave the field of play because of an infringement of this Law and who enters (or re-enters) the field of play without the permission of the referee is cautioned and shown the yellow card.

Restart of Play

If play is stopped by the referee to administer a caution:

* the match is restarted by an indirect free kick taken by a player of the opposing side, from the place where the ball was when the referee stopped the match*

Decision of the International FA Board

* Players must not reveal undershirts which contain slogans or advertising. The basic compulsory equipment must not contain any political, religious or personal statements. A player removing his jersey to reveal slogans or advertising will be sanctioned by the competition organiser. The team of a player whose basic compulsory equipment contains political, religious or personal slogans or statements will be sanctioned by the competition organiser or by FIFA.
* Jerseys must have sleeves.