Ronaldinho’s ‘swag’ movement, Gomis’ lion walk, Alex’s crab dance, Drogba’s arm waving, Guiza’s archer move… These are all celebrations that we are accustomed to seeing on the screens, now identified with the actors.
But there is a move that if you do it while celebrating the goal celebration, you can get an instant yellow card. If you don’t know why the shirt we’re talking about is prohibited, let’s take you down.
Exaggerated goal celebrations often result in a yellow card.
From 2012 to 2017, Robert Firmino set a record 7 yellow cards for celebrating by removing his jersey. Of course, Firmino is not the only player to take off his shirt, there are many other players who were punished for doing this gesture with enthusiasm in the moment of joy.
Although reasonable levels of goal celebrations are allowed, the act of putting on a jersey, which has been banned by FIFA since 2004, is among the ‘unsportsmanlike’ behaviors. So why?
The history of the ban dates back to an event in 1999.
In the Women’s World Cup Final between the USA and China, Brandi Chastain scored the goal that led them to the championship and took off her jersey. Despite the fact that he had a sports bra under his shirt, he was criticized by some conservative groups.
Later, the International Football Association Board banned women from taking off their jerseys while celebrating. Men could take off their jerseys freely, while women were shown a yellow card if they did.
Of course, at this point, feminist groups stepped in and wanted to be treated equally with men. In 2004, FIFA accepted this request and instead of allowing women to play, banned it for men as well.
The ban started with this incident, but there are other reasons as well.
According to FIFA Rule 12, players are given a yellow card if:
- Provocative and sarcastic gestures
- climbing the fence
- take off the jersey or put it on the head
- Mask your head or face, etc. close with objects
Volker Roth, former chairman of the German Referee Committee, explained this rule with these words:
“To put on a jersey in Islamic countries is an insult to those who have to look after it.”
Another factor is that it disrupts the flow of the match and can affect the concentration of the players.
Too much enthusiasm and a long goal celebration disrupts the flow of the match and unnecessarily prolongs the time. Players need to concentrate on the match immediately after their celebration is over. For example, Manchester United’s Forlán missed the kick-off for exactly this reason and had to play topless for the remainder of the match against Southampton.
Another incident took place in South America. After scoring a goal, the players threw their jerseys at the fans and there was a stampede among the audience. Some of the excited fans trying to grab the jerseys were crushed to death!
Another reason is sponsorships.
The goal moments are arguably the best photographed moments of the match. All cameras are turned to the goal scorer and if the player has removed his jersey, the sponsoring brand’s name or logo will not be visible. Of course, this may not please companies that pay big money for their brand to appear.
Although the event that caused the ban is not very pleasant, considering other reasons, it can be placed on a reasonable ground. What do you think, is there really a need for such a ban?
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