adminSikhumbuzo Moyo Senior Sport Reporter
HIGHLANDERS Football Club coach Kelvin Kaindu says he is a God-fearing man and law-abiding citizen and he will have no problem adhering to Fifa’s call to ban the wearing of regalia with religious messages during matches. “Fifa are the custodians of football and whenever they propose changes to the laws of the game they do that without necessarily targeting any individual. I believe they will be doing it for the good of the game and if that proposal becomes law, I will certainly not have problems with it,” said Kaindu.
The proposals, however, are silent on such regalia being worn by coaches. The Zambian mentor usually wears a white shirt with the inscription Joshua 1 v 5 or “It Shall be Well” during official Highlanders matches.
World soccer mother-body, Fifa have proposed some landmark amendments to the Laws of the Game that could see an increase in the number of substitutions while clubs face serious sanctions on the use of undergarment slogans by their players.
In terms of the Laws of the Game, The IFAB will discuss proposals to alter Law 4 – The Players’ Equipment. Firstly in terms of the use of head covers, as the two-year trial period unanimously approved by The IFAB in 2012 is set to conclude, and secondly in relation to slogans or advertising on undergarments.
“Players must not reveal undergarments showing slogans or advertising. The basic compulsory equipment must not have any political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images,” says the IFAB agenda that will be discussed in their annual general meeting on March 1.
The proposed law amendment will see the team of a player whose basic compulsory equipment has political, religious or personal slogans or statements or images sanctioned by the competition organiser or by Fifa. Previously, it was only the player who would be sanctioned.
“Players must not reveal undergarments that show political, religious, personal slogans, statements or images, or advertising other than the manufacturer’s logo. A player/team of a player that reveals an undergarment that shows political, religious, personal slogans, statements or images, or advertising other than the manufacturers’ logo will be sanctioned by the competition organiser or by Fifa,” reads the proposed change. Currently what a player can reveal on any item of basic compulsory equipment is different to what he can on an undergarment. He or she can not reveal a personal statement or image on his outer jersey but can do that on the undershirt.
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