‘It’s embarrassing’: Arsenal forced to wear Chelsea socks to avoid kit clash

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Chelsea and Arsenal's recent match in the Women's Super League started later than planned since there was a problem with the teams' kits. Specifically, Arsenal had arrived at Stamford Bridge with the incorrect socks, resulting in a 30-minute delay to the start of the game. Unfortunately for the Gunners, they ultimately lost the match 3-1 to their competitors for the league title.

The Arsenal vs Chelsea game was supposed to start at 7pm, but it got delayed because Arsenal had to switch to black socks that they purchased from Chelsea's club shop. Initially, Arsenal's players had warmed up in white socks, but these clashed with the colors of Chelsea's uniform. Hence, just before the game was about to begin, Jonas Eidevall's team received instructions to look for a replacement, which caused the delay.

Arsenal had bought black socks with a touch of blue from the Chelsea club shop. However, the players had to put tape on the Chelsea badge that was located on the sock.

In the previous game at Emirates in January, Chelsea wore blue shirts, blue shorts, and socks of a different shade of blue. However, Arsenal overlooked this change and the referees only noticed it moments before the start of the match.

Ian Wright, a previous footballer of the Arsenal team, sent out a message on his Twitter account during the situation, expressing his disapproval by describing it as embarrassing and ridiculous.

between their own red and white striped socks and Chelsea's all-blue home kit during their Premier League match on 21 January 2020. The change of socks was necessary as per the Premier League rules, which state that clubs must have a colour clash policy to ensure that their kit does not clash with the opposition's kit. It was a smart move by the Arsenal team to avoid any confusion on the pitch and give themselves the best chance to secure a victory. Ultimately, Arsenal won the match 2-1, which proved that their decision to change into Chelsea away socks was a wise one.

The blog section was illustrated with images captured by Action Images via Reuters.

their socks to avoid a clash. Chelsea wore white socks for their warm-up, while Arsenal had to switch their socks to prevent any confusion.

The blog section has a photo credited to The FA via Getty Images.

Last October, the male team of Arsenal sported red socks during their game at Stamford Bridge.

Karen Carney, a former England football player, believes that the delay during WSL's primary event was not a good representation. The event was being aired live on Sky Sports and had an audience of more than 32,000 people at Stamford Bridge.

According to Carney on Sky Sports, errors are made by individuals which the game does not require, and it causes frustration. The women's game has had to wait for an extended period to solely focus on football discussions.

Without a doubt, it is a mistake made by a human, which is embarrassing. The players feel ashamed and I am feeling very annoyed. The game has attracted a sizable audience and it is a significant match.

The situation is quite straightforward - there was a mistake with a certain kit. We'll need to acknowledge it and keep going, but unfortunately, it reflects poorly on the overall quality of the sport.

This season, Arsenal has been outstanding in everything except on the field. They have excelled in attracting a huge crowd, having high attendances, and implementing effective marketing strategies. However, they seem to have slipped up on the main aspect of winning games.

Arsenal experienced a significant downfall at Stamford Bridge when they allowed three goals in less than half an hour. Chelsea's victory resulted in the Gunners being six points behind in the race for the title.

The Chelsea team's striker, Lauren James, played exceptionally well during the match and contributed to the team's victory. However, Arsenal's coach Jonas Eidveall refused to offer any excuses for the game's delay.

A conflict of colors arose and we didn't notice it until much later. The players and Chelsea were also unaware of this issue. We were then informed that we couldn't use those colors and had to make changes accordingly.

"The situation was identical for the opposing team too. I'm not going to offer any justifications - that would be unreasonable. The circumstances applied equally to both teams. Thus, we needed to adjust ourselves accordingly."

During October, the male team of Arsenal sported red socks of a different shade to go with their home uniform while engaging in a 2-2 tied match at Stamford Bridge.