Islamic State has banned referees from football matches in a Syria stronghold because it has decreed that international football rules are in breach of Sharia.  

Referees fail to judge "according to what Allah has revealed", said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, according to reports.

IS believes FIFA rules are in "violation of Allah's command and the Sunnah". It has declared international rules that govern footall to be "illegitimate".

IS commanders in Deir ez-Zor have also introduced new rules that allow injured football players to seek revenge.

The territory is currently under siege from official government forces and could soon be among the growing numbers of territories lost to IS, which this week saw Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, its head of propaganda, slain.

The matches were only allowed to continue at all because they are not officially run under FIFA auspices. IS imposed the changes as the local league matches were about to begin.

Earlier this year the terror group in Raqqa in Syria declared football to be un-Islamic, banned it altogether and beheaded four members of one football team in Raqqa who were accused of being Kurdish spies.

Dancing, smoking and watching foreign television have also been banned in towns and cities held by the group.

Breaching these commands can lead to flogging, shooting, beheading and burning.