France fined by Uefa after Nations League delay over players’ socks

The French Football Federation has been fined 10,000 euros by Uefa after the start of France’s Nations League match against Belgium on 28 September was delayed because of an issue involving the players’ socks and their coloured laces.

The match, which France won 1-0, began several minutes later than scheduled after the France squad, managed by Zinedine Zidane, arrived on the pitch after the appointed time. Kick-off had been set for 8:45pm.

According to French newspaper L’Equipe, the delay was caused by the players wearing socks with the wrong coloured laces. The match officials rejected the equipment and required the players to correct the problem before the game could begin.

Uefa ruled that the incident breached Article 6.07 of the Nations League regulations. The rule requires national associations to submit the necessary information about match equipment through Uefa’s TIME platform during the weeks leading up to each fixture.

The incident was the first financial penalty imposed on France during Zidane’s time in charge, but it was not the only organisational difficulty encountered during his first camp with the national team.

Before the meeting with Turkey, which France also won 1-0, Zidane missed the scheduled start of the French national anthem, La Marseillaise. He said afterwards that the pre-match protocol had moved more quickly than he expected.

“I was a little slow at the start. I would have preferred to arrive at the right time,” Zidane said, adding that he had not been given enough information about the precise timing of the formalities before the anthem.

The preparations for that match also included the team flag being forgotten. Members of the delegation had to return quickly to the dressing room to retrieve it, adding to the organisational confusion at the beginning of the new coaching staff’s tenure.

L’Equipe reported that the coaching staff reviewed those mistakes at an assessment meeting held on 6 October, after the first camp had ended. The purpose was to prevent similar incidents in future fixtures.

France have now regrouped at the Clairefontaine training centre ahead of their final two Nations League group matches. They will travel to face Italy before hosting Turkey in Bordeaux.

The team are aiming to secure qualification for the quarter-finals. A draw will be enough for France to progress to the next round.