15 March 2024 , 22:12
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Embarrassing is the word and it’s the only word.
One of the biggest games of the season between two of English women’s football biggest teams on a night in which angst was heavy and the ramifications were huge – and a sock palaver delayed everything.
Former England international Karen Carney was right to acknowledge that the mistake was just that: a mistake. A human error. One which happens because this is football and human error is one of those inevitable caprices of the game as much as it is life. Arsenal were wearing white socks but so too were Chelsea. Whoops.
But the nature of this error feels needless and even ridiculous. And as Carney rightfully pointed out, a foul look on a game which has constantly fought for its credibility, having to routinely justify why the cameras and big stages and increasing financial windfalls are afforded it. Not only was the game delayed, but Arsenal were forced to rummage through Chelsea's club superstore for any and all available socks.
There’s an important reverse argument here and it goes like this: it’s just a couple of pairs of socks and we should all get over it.
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When have any of us not forgotten a pair of socks and been forced to shove our feet into the flesh of our shoes, skin and all? At least they got their socks. No one was hurt. Sartorial faux pas and maniacally bad memories and clothing malfunctions are part of the human condition. It's not that big. Aim your offence in another direction.
But at risk of sounding superficial, it all looked silly: the black tape attempting to bury the Chelsea vestiges on the freshly-bought material, the knowledge that it came from the Superstore just down the way, the half-hour delay for a monumentally crucial game between two league heavyweights.
Besides, surely any clash of kits would’ve been identified well before the minutes before kick-off, before any potential palaver had room to manifest. This is the women's top-flight.
It was an embarrassing night all round for Arsenal (Photo by Alex Burstow/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Arsenal's Leah Williamson warming up at Stamford Bridge before having to change socksWhich is the other part of this argument.
Chelsea’s in-house DJ, all animated fist pumps and delightfully unexpected song choices, impeccably distracted a baying crowd from the half-hour delay. It was relieving in the fact that the atmosphere around Stamford Bridge seemed to ratchet up to another frequency despite the inconvenience.
But it was also discomforting, as if such a farce could be simply papered over and erased by Whitney Houston and Walk the Moon; as if no one wanted to speak about how farcical it all was, that no one wanted to acknowledge that there can be harsh criticism levied here.
Perhaps it's appropriate that Carney, the woman who led a sweeping review into the women's game and called for extensive changes to the entire infrastructure, felt fearless enough to address it head-on. And she was right to call out the farce for what it was. Because in any other top-flight sport, that is what it would be: embarrassing.
The conspiracy theories are endless if you want them to be. Did it have an effect on the match? Did sock-gate and the subsequent delay yield some sort of mental malady on the Arsenal players? Was this all some sort of calculated ruse to help Chelsea? Or is this just what it is: a mistake. But one that has no place in a game of this stature.
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