HomeLaws of the Game › Law 4
Law 4

Law 4 — The Players' Equipment

Safety is the guiding principle of Law 4. The referee does not judge aesthetics: the referee judges whether something is dangerous to the player or to others.

Compulsory equipment

A shirt with sleeves, shorts, socks, shinguards and footwear. Shinguards must be entirely covered by the socks and provide a reasonable degree of protection.

Jewellery

All jewellery is forbidden: rings, bracelets, earrings, necklaces, leather bands. Covering them with tape is not enough. The referee must inspect before the match.

Colours

The two teams must wear colours that distinguish them from each other and from the match officials. Each goalkeeper must wear colours distinguishable from the other players and the officials.

Offence and restart

If a player's equipment is not correct, they are instructed to leave the field to correct it. Play is not stopped solely for this; the player leaves at the next stoppage.

Re-entering

A player who left to correct equipment may only re-enter with the referee's permission, once the equipment has been checked, and while the ball is out of play.

Practise with 3,800 questions in the app

FiveRef includes tests by Law and difficulty, a daily challenge, an AI chat on the Laws and assisted match reports. Free to start.

See all 17 Laws of the Game

← Law 3 — The PlayersLaw 5 — The Referee →