Section 8: Safety Considerations
Jewellery and dangerous equipment (Law 4, Section 1). A player must not use or wear any equipment or item that is dangerous. All jewellery is forbidden and must be removed before play; taping over it is not an acceptable substitute. Players and substitutes are inspected before kick-off, and a player who refuses to remove a dangerous or unauthorised item must leave the pitch at the next stoppage if unwilling or unable to comply, and is cautioned if the item is worn again.
Protective equipment (Law 4, Section 2). Shinguards are compulsory, must be made of a suitable material providing reasonable protection appropriate to the player, and must be fully covered by the socks.
Referee authority to stop, suspend or abandon (Law 5, Section 3). The referee may stop, suspend or abandon a match for reasons including a serious injury, inadequate floodlights, spectator interference, or any other issue that makes continued play unsafe. If, in the referees' opinion, a player is seriously injured, play is stopped and the player must be removed from the pitch, returning only after the match has resumed and via their team's substitution zone, subject to narrow exceptions (e.g. two players from the same team colliding, or an injury resulting from a physical offence for which the opponent has already been cautioned or sent off).
Sanctioning unsafe play (Law 12, Section 3). The Laws embody the unacceptability of unsafe play directly in their disciplinary language: a "reckless challenge," which shows disregard for the danger to or consequences for an opponent, is a caution; a challenge "using excessive force," which endangers the safety of an opponent, is a sending-off. Serious foul play and violent conduct are always sent off, regardless of whether the referees have applied advantage.
Goal stability (Law 1, Section 9). Goals must never be fixed to the floor, since this could itself endanger participants, but must be fitted with an adequate stabilising system — such as weighting at the rear of the frame — to prevent them from overturning during play.