Manchester United's Congo-born English defender Axel Tuanzebe was spotted wearing a black watch in yesterday's Premier League game against Leicester City.
Axel Tuanzebe Wears Whoop Fitness Watch
As visible on the pictures and during the broadcast, Axel Tuanzebe wore a modern black watch. The watch resembles the look of an Apple Watch but is indeed the fitness watch of US company Whoop.
referees have been wearing watches since the introduction of the VAR
We have never seen a player before wearing a watch, while many referees have been wearing one already before the introduction of the VAR. The whoop fitness tracker watch is used by NFL players and professional golfers.
We asked the question of whether it is allowed to wear a watch in football matches and found what we were looking for in the official Equipment Regulations of both Premier League and UEFA.
Electronic Performance and Tracking Systems (EPTS)
As stated in the paragraph about "Electronic performance and tracking systems (EPTS)", wearable technology is allowed to be worn if "it is not dangerous and meets one of the following standards: IMS (International Match Standard) or FIFA Quality".
It should have been forbidden by the referee
So, while we personally think that the Whoop following watch is indeed dangerous and should therefore be forbidden, it is also not approved by the IMS / FIFA. He shouldn't have been allowed to wear it.
We are not sure if the referee(s) knew that Axel Tuanzebe was wearing a watch - if so, he should have forbidden him to wear it.
In fact, footballers usually wear special 'bras' to track performance stats during matches and games.
Have you ever spotted a player before wearing a watch in a football game? Comment below.