One of the things always impressed on referees is that their number one duty is to the safety of the players. So when one of our Reading referees saw some new type boots in a local sports shop he
borrowed them and took them along to the next meeting of the Reading Referees' Society. Instead of the normal circular studs the boots had narrow metal blades. They were overwhelmingly considered dangerous by those at the meeting.
There are no longer specifications for studs in the laws of the game. Prior to 1990 boots with less than ten studs per sole were considered dangerous if the diameter of the studs was less than half an inch (12.7mm). These metal-bladed studs are narrower at the leading edge than the rear end and there are eight to the sole. The leading edge is 2mm, widening to 5mm. This means that the leading edge is six hundred per cent narrower than used to be considered safe.
The difficulty was that the boots were embossed with the FIFA logo which meant they had received the approval of the
game's highest body. The meeting agreed to refer the matter to the Football Association for their guidance. Their advice was simply that it was up to each referee to stop players wearing anything dangerous. However, many felt that there was a slight hint that any individual referee would be foolish to take on the might of FIFA and one of the
world's largest sports manufacturer, by outlawing the boot.
Now it seems that a Sunday league in Kent is trying to do just that. After at least two players suffered bad gashes to their legs, the Herne Bay and Whitstable Sunday League have ordered referees to check players' boots and ban players who have these studs. 'We feel sorry for the players who have bought these boots' said the
league, 'but we're only thinking of their safety. If we allow these boots to be worn and players are injured, the referee and the leagu4e could be sued'.
The action of the Herne Bay and Whitstable Sunday league, first reported in a local Kent newspaper, was quickly picked up by the Football Association who issued a statement on
11th October which read:
'In response to stories circulating regarding the action taken by a local league to ban football boots with "blades" rather than the traditional studs, the FA would like to issue a brief clarification. The laws of the game state clearly in Law 4, that a player must not use equipment or wear anything that is dangerous to himself or another player. In Law 5 the referee's duties include ensuring "that the player's equipment meets the requirement of Law 4". It is therefore at the sole discretion of the referee which items of equipment may be worn and whether or not items of equipment constitute a danger to the participants in a match. It is not within the authority of a league to ban equipment on the allegation that it is dangerous'.
So it's all down to the poor old referee again, although the FA did issue a further statement a week later which said "The FA would like to reiterate that the boots in question meet all the relevant quality and safety standards and we have been reassured with full documentation from
FIFA and Adidas.
Adidas issued their own statement which confirmed that the boots had undergone rigorous safety testing before being approved and added, "Football is a contact sport and injuries do sometimes occur. We would want to inspect the boots to find out if the studs were damaged prior to the players getting hurt". So perhaps the answer for referees and wearers is that, although the blades look dangerous, apparently they are
not but might become so if they become worn.
Dick Sawdon Smith