Top News

Ian Wright believes football’s rule-makers should remove what he sees as the game’s most needlessly fussy law.

A player scores a dramatic late winner and, swept up in the moment, tears off their shirt, launching it towards the crowd as far as possible or leaving it lying on the pitch behind them.

How often have we watched that happen? Time and again. And almost without fail, the referee soon reaches into their pocket to produce the familiar yellow card that now automatically accompanies the so-called offence.

It harms nobody, apart from perhaps the pride of those who do not possess a finely tuned athletic build. So why are players being punished for showing that kind of emotion?

Arsenal great Ian Wright and Gillette have joined hands to say enough is enough. It is now 30 years since the first yellow card was shown for it, before the rule was formally written into the laws of the game in 2004.

Wrighty and Gillette now believe the rule has had more than enough time and that, by common agreement, it is football’s stupidest law. You only have to hear the jeers from the stands whenever an official waves that yellow card to judge whether supporters actually approve of it.

Gillette’s ‘Worth Celebrating’ petition is urging football’s decision-makers to do away with the automatic yellow card for players who celebrate by removing their shirts. The objective is to protect emotional and spontaneous celebrations.

Liverpool’s Hugo Ekitike drew major attention last season when he received a second yellow card for taking off his shirt after scoring the winner against Southampton in the Carabao Cup.

IFAB, the International Football Association Board, state that players are allowed to celebrate after scoring, but that celebration must not be excessive.

The regulation is there to stop players from acting provocatively towards the opposition and their supporters, and also from displaying political messages.

At the centre of Gillette’s campaign is the message that passion should be celebrated rather than punished. If the petition reaches 100,000 signatures, Gillette will send an open letter to IFAB formally asking for the rule to be removed.

“Can we get rid of this silly shirt off rule and give them back a bit of passion and joy?!” Wright said.

“Sometimes players are getting sent off for two yellow cards when one of them is for taking their shirt off!

“I hope the fans get behind the petition, help us bring back the joy to goal celebrations.”