Question Number: 3019

Law 3 - Number of Players

RE: High School

Katy MacIver of Rock Hill, sc asks...

To whom this may consern,.I have a question conserning a few of my friends that are on my High School soccer team. They are mexican and some may lack in papers of some kind and I was wondering if there is a Law saying that they are not aloud to play. The coach has benched them for games because they do not have these papers they are great players and they are friends of mine and I would like to see them play Is this fair is this right to them. Could this be a racial issue? Its just mexicans they have benched. Please answer soon Thank you. Katy MacIver

Answer provided by Referee haselden

Eligibility for these players is a question for the high school athletic association. Your coach may not be allowing them to play because the use of ineligible players might force a forfeit of all games and bring on other sanctions.

Answer provided by Referee Victor Matheson

Individual leagues may decide the requirements for their players. FIFA decides that for the World Cup, players must be citizens of their country and must have never played for another country. In MLS, a maximum of 4 players may be foreigners, etc. If a team violates the eligibility rules, the league may punish the team. Mexico was not allowed to participate in the 1990 World because they used ineligible players in a world youth tournment several years earlier. I do not know what the high school eligibility rules are in your area, but I would not be surprised if they preclude participation by illegal aliens. I doubt it is a racial issue beyond the simple fact that persons of Latino descent are more likely to lack citizenship than members of other ethnic groups.