Yellow cards in football are intended to keep players within the limits of the laws of the game.
Dangerous actions, unsportsmanlike behavior or other misconduct can lead the referee to caution players for their bad actions, leaving them on a knife edge for the rest of the match. Two yellow cards are enough for a player to be sent off.
However, it may seem harsh when referees show players a yellow card for taking off their shirts in celebration, as exuberance is a central emotion when scoring meaningful goals. It seems especially strange considering that for many years there was no such punishment, which meant that players could celebrate in this way as much as they wanted.
However, that’s how the rules are designed now. So why are they like this? Jugo Mobile brings you a brief overview of football laws that stipulate a yellow card be shown to a player who removes his shirt.
Why do players get a yellow card for taking off their shirts?
Players cannot take off their shirts to celebrate during the course of a football match.
The IFAB Laws of the Game specifically require referees to show a yellow card to any player who removes his shirt during a celebration.
The standard first came into effect in 2004 and is specifically designed for several reasons. First of all, its objective is to reduce the loss of time as much as possible, although it is also an act that could be considered unsportsmanlike.
FIFA rule on yellow card for taking off the shirt
In the official rules of the game.FIFA rule 3 on fouls and misconduct states:
Players can celebrate when a goal is scored, but the celebration should not be excessive; Choreographed celebrations are not encouraged and should not result in excessive waste of time. Leaving the field of play to celebrate a goal is not a warning. [worthy of a yellow card] offensive, but the players must return as soon as possible.
A player must be cautioned, even if the goal is disallowed, for:
- Climbing a perimeter fence and/or approaching spectators in a way that causes safety and/or security problems.
- Acting in a provocative, derisory or inflammatory manner.
- Cover your head or face with a mask or other similar item.
- Take off your shirt or cover your head with your shirt.
The players received a yellow card for taking off their shirts.
There have been some famous cases where players were shown a yellow card for open celebration.
When Manchester United beat Liverpool in a thrilling FA Cup quarter-final match on March 17, 2024, Amad Diallo took off his shirt to celebrate after scoring the winning goal in the final seconds of extra time. The substitute had previously been booked for preventing Liverpool from taking a quick free kick, for which he received a second yellow card seconds after his goal. United finished the remaining minute with 10 men.
In the most recent men’s World Cup in 2022, Cameroon’s Vincent Aboubakar received a second yellow card, and was therefore sent off, for removing his shirt after scoring the final winning goal against Brazil in a famous 1-1 win. 0. While Cameroon ultimately held on to win, it forced the African nation to play the final minutes a man down as Brazil looked for an equalizer.
Mario Balotelli has received multiple bookings for celebrating, including when he scored against Manchester United and proceeded to lift his shirt over his head to reveal a message underneath that read “Why always me?” He also did the same thing for Italy against Germany at Euro 2012 with a viral goal celebration, when he took off his shirt and just flexed.
The law is the same in women’s football and there have been some famous examples there too. Brandi Chastain scored the winning penalty in the 1995 Women’s World Cup final against China and proceeded to take off her shirt, resulting in one of the most famous photographs in the history of sports.
At a similar moment at the Women’s Euro 2022, Chloe Kelly did the same after scoring the decisive goal in the final against Germany, and although she was booked afterwards, she won’t have cared in the slightest. The match ended and England had taken the title.