Most soccer fans like seeing shirtless goal celebrations, new survey shows

The “shirt off” goal celebration is a moment of pure joy in soccer, but for the last 22 years, it has resulted in an automatic yellow card for the player responsible.

Now, a new survey suggests the majority of supporters want that situation to change.

Research conducted by Gillette is said to have found that 64% of fans would still be happy to see a goal scorer from their team take their shirt off, regardless of whether they got booked or not.

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Meanwhile, around 50% believe the yellow card for shirt removal should be scrapped entirely.

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There is an undeniable release of emotion brought about by scoring a crucial goal. It’s a huge part of what makes soccer the world’s most popular sport.

In the men’s game, commentators and academics continue to be fascinated by the way in which elements of male bonding and homoeroticism seen in these goal celebrations challenge long-standing cultural taboos.

Meanwhile, for many gay and bisexual men, shirtless soccer players are often the spark for early awakenings of sexuality. David Beckham, Freddie Ljungberg, Olivier Giroud and Jude Bellingham are just a few of the stars who get mentioned on this topic.

The “reveal” element of a shirtless goal celebration only adds to that sense of an epiphany.

For those of a certain generation, one oft-cited example was Ryan Giggs’ iconic ‘hairy-chest’ celebration after his goal for Manchester United in their FA Cup semifinal replay victory over Arsenal in 1999.

Are bookings for shirtless goal celebrations just buzzkill?

Yellow cards for “shirt-off” goal celebrations were originally proposed by FIFA and introduced in 2004 by the International Football Association Board (IFAB), in large part because of an incident involving Uruguay striker Diego Forlan when he was playing for Manchester United two years earlier.

After scoring an 85th-minute winner against Southampton in a Premier League match at Old Trafford, Forlan ran to celebrate with the home supporters and whipped his shirt off.

However, he couldn’t get it back on before play resumed, leading to the comical sight of him running around bare-chested while holding his jersey.

Referee Uriah Rennie halted play, and Forlan — who was not booked — eventually managed to dress himself properly.

@manutd When Forlan played with no shirt #MUFC #ManUtd #Forlan ♬ original sound – Manchester United

Yet despite the 2004 rule change, players have continued to take their shirts off to celebrate goals, often doing so in acceptance that a booking will follow.

Memorable shirtless goal celebrations include Sergio Aguero deciding the Premier League title for Manchester City in 2012, a moment so famous that it is now immortalized by a silver statue outside the Etihad Stadium.

And who can forget Mario Balotelli’s defiant pose after scoring Italy’s semifinal winner against Germany at Euro 2012?

@uefaeuro Super Mario Balotelli #EURO #Italy #Balotelli ♬ AL NACER! (Super Slowed) – Sayfalse & Nulteex

There have been iconic “shirt-off” celebrations in the women’s game as well.

Chloe Kelly famously whipped her jersey off after scoring England’s winner against Germany in the Euro 2022 final at Wembley, revealing a sports bra in a moment reminiscent of USA’s Brandi Chastain at the 1999 Women’s World Cup.

Years later, in a letter to her younger self, Chastain wrote: “Don’t listen to the sexist remarks about removing your shirt. When you do interview after interview, where everyone asks why, be yourself. Own it. That image will become one of the most iconic in all of sports history. It will stand for glory.”

It’s rather sad to think that women’s soccer has missed out on similarly empowering photos because of this rule.

Kelly was booked, but later that same year, there was a more dramatic consequence at the men’s World Cup, after Cameroon captain Vincent Aboubakar headed home in stoppage time to give his team a 1-0 lead over Brazil in the group stage.

Aboubakar ripped off his shirt in celebration, forgetting he was already on a yellow card. He was promptly shown another and then the inevitable red card.

Despite having their skipper sent off, 10-man Cameroon held on to become the first African team to defeat Brazil at a World Cup.

@fifaworldcup When Aboubakar meets Brazil. #FIFAWorldCup ♬ VIOLENTO – Kobe Mane

Petition launched to scrap rule, alongside marketing push

In response to its own research, Gillette has launched a petition titled “Celebrate Freely: Kick the Shirt-Off Yellow Card Out of Football!”

The campaign is being promoted by Arsenal and England legend Ian Wright, who states in a video heavy with advertising: “Nobody should be getting booked for that! It’s foolishness.”

Of course, it’s simple to see what’s really going on here from a marketing point of view, but nevertheless it’s an interesting talking point about the modern game.

It’s clearly not just gay fans who appreciate a closer look at the physiques and athleticism of soccer stars. Homoeroticism is being increasingly embraced and marketed in the Instagram age.

There’s also an argument that shirtless goal celebrations can help to puncture the hypermasculine bubble in which the men’s game still operates.

The petition is highly unlikely to get any sort of response from FIFA, which isn’t even named in the text and has more pressing issues on its plate right now.

And while it’s a clever way to promote body shaving, they should know that, for some guys, it was actually Ryan Giggs’ unshaven chest that truly changed the game.

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