Fans are only just realising why players get booked for taking their shirt off

Fans are just realising why players receive a yellow card for taking their shirt off.

When celebrating a goal, players sometimes take off their shirts during their celebrations.

As a result, they are given a yellow card by the referee as it is a breach of football laws.

Over the years, we’ve seen some famous shirt-off celebrations such as Mario Balotelli against Germany in 2012 and Chloe Kelly when she scored the winner against Germany last summer.

But, why is taking your shirt off a yellow card offence?

According to section 12 of the FIFA rules, a player is cautioned if:

• the referee thinks he is cheering with provocative, mocking or instigative gestures,
• he climbs up a fence to celebrate a goal,
• he takes off his shirt or pulls it over his head,
• he covers his head or face with a mask or similar objects.

In terms of taking your shirt off, it could be down to cultural differences as FIFA regulations are valid around the world.

As per Owayo, Therefore Volker Roth, former chairman of the DFB Referee Committee said: “In Islamic countries, taking off a jersey is an insult to the one who has to look.”

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In addition, it is believed that some players could take off their shirts for private purposes, for example, to advertise something.

The ban also prevents the match from being unnecessarily delayed by an over-the-top goal celebration. It is believed that players should concentrate on the match after their celebration rather than getting dressed.

A prime example was when Uruguayan forward Diego Forlan missed the kick-off during Manchester United’s match against Southampton and had to play topless.