Players are permitted to wear sports goggles, sports glasses or sports sunglasses as long as, in the opinion of the match official, they pose no danger to the player or other players. The Optometrists Association of Australia recommends that children involved in sport, requiring assisted vision, should wear protective eyewear such as sports goggles or sports glasses with soft or flexible frames fitted with a plastic or polycarbonate lens.
Several years ago, FIFA endorsed a view of its IFAB Committee and stated following: “New technology has made sports spectacles much safer, both for the player … and other players. We expect referees to take full account of this fact and it would be considered extremely unusual for a referee to prevent a player taking part in a match because he or she was wearing modern sports spectacles.”
While this statement endorses the wearing of modern sports spectacles this does not stop an individual referee refusing permission. The decision to allow a player to wear or not wear particular glasses or goggles under FIFA directives is still up to the individual referee
