France, €10,000 fine from UEFA for socks: what the regulation says

UEFA fined France €10,000 for sock tape colour breach in Nations League match v Belgium on 28 September, causing kick-off delay.

France's Football Federation was sanctioned €10,000 by UEFA for an equipment violation during their Nations League match against Belgium on 28 September. Shortly before kick-off, officials noticed that the tape and bands used by French players to hold up their socks did not comply with UEFA regulations, which require such materials to be transparent or match the sock colour exactly.

The issue forced staff to intervene and correct the equipment, delaying the start of the match.

UEFA regulation 42.01 on equipment states: "Adhesive tape, bands and/or any other material used over playing socks to hold them in position must be transparent or the same colour as the part of the sock to which they are applied and must be free of team or manufacturer identification and decorative elements."

A similar incident occurred in Serie A's Bologna v Inter on 17 October, when referee Daniele Doveri stopped play to ask Bologna players to change their sock tape colour before kick-off. The episode highlights ongoing compliance issues as Zinedine Zidane begins his tenure as France manager, following earlier protocol mishaps in his debut away match in Turkey.