Picture Credit: Twitter
The FIFA World Cup 2022 Round of 16 game between France and Poland saw a bizarre stoppage of play in the 43rd minute. The match was momentarily stopped as French defender Jules Kounde was forced to remove his gold chain by the referee.
FIFA states that players aren't allowed to wear any form of jewellery when playing, but the Barcelona defender was spotted wearing a necklace by referee Jesus Valenzuela. Hence Kounde was forced to take out his jewellery and a member of the coaching staff removed the chain before he took a throw-in.
Check the video here:
The rules states, "players must not use chains, bracelets, rings, earrings, or any kind of jewellery during the games. It is also prohibited to attach them to the body with any kind of tape."
"First, the referee will ask the player to take them off. If they refuse to, they will receive the yellow card and won't be allowed to return until they don't have it anymore."
Going back to the game, France managed to take the lead thanks to Oliver Giroud, as he scored a stunning goal moments before halftime. The AC Milan forward received a near-perfect pass from Paris Saint Germain's Kylian Mbappe from the edge of the box.
Giroud took two touches and sent the ball past the Polish keeper Wojciech Szczęsny. This goal also helped the veteran striker beat football legend Theirry Henry's all-time scoring record for France. Giroud now has 52 international goals in 116 appearances for Les Bleus.