Play had to be stopped in France's World Cup round of 16 clash with Poland on Sunday afternoon due to a piece of jewellery that defender Jules Kounde was wearing in the match. It came as a surprise to many as the game was put on hold, with the Barcelona summer signing needing help to take the chain off from his neck in the first half.
It came in an opening half of action at the Al Thumama Stadium, where Olivier Giroud missed a golden opportunity to put Les Bleus ahead from an Ousmane Dembele cross. Poland then had a golden opportunity to score, but a double save from Hugo Lloris and two goal line clearances denied them.
Just before the break, Didier Deschamps' side finally struck as Kylian Mbappe played a ball beyond to Giroud, who made no mistake at the second time of asking. The former Arsenal and Chelsea striker became the top scorer for the French national side with 52 goals, overtaking Thierry Henry.
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While there was plenty of action, the focus turned to Kounde midway through as the referee signalled him towards the sidelines to take off a chain he wore for over 30 minutes of action. Under the IFAB rules of the game, law four determines which equipment a player is allowed to have.
Section one states that due to safety, "A player must not use equipment or wear anything that is dangerous. All items of jewellery (necklaces, rings, bracelets, earrings, leather bands, rubber bands, etc.) are forbidden and must be removed. Using tape to cover jewellery is not permitted."
The rules also state that players and substitutes must be checked before coming onto the field, suggesting that the officials failed to flag the chain before the clash. The procedures after state that if a player is wearing anything deemed dangerous then the referee must order them to remove to jewellery.
Should the player not comply, they will be instructed to leave the field and will be cautioned.
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