“Why More Football Players Are Cutting Holes in Their Socks: Easing Calf Muscle Pressure?”

You may have noticed this when watching football in recent years. In both club and international football, more and more players have been seen playing with strange holes in the back of their socks.

The reason for the phenomenon must be to ease the pressure on the calf muscle. At least that’s what Degerfors IF’s defender Oscar Wallin thinks, who cuts holes in his match socks himself.

– It’s about trying to release the tension in the socks. I don’t know why it is like that, but often when we get the match socks they are extremely tight, says Wallin and continues:

– When you put them on in the dressing room before a match and your muscles are relaxed, they are already extremely tight. During the match, when the muscle gets tense, it gets even worse. The muscle feels strangled.

The tight socks in Wallin’s case must have contributed to convulsions, something he has had problems with for some time.

– This actually started as a bad attempt to counteract cramps, but I can’t say that it helped very much. But psychologically it feels better, he says.

During the winter, a study from the University of Gothenburg showed that the oxygenation in the lower leg decreases for those who wear compression socks when running. Something that confirms Wallin’s experiences with the tight-fitting football socks.

Matilda Lundblad, team doctor for IF Elfsborg in the Allsvenskan and board member of the Swedish Football Association’s medical committee, believes, like Wallin, that the effect of cutting holes in the socks is absent in most cases.

– There are some players who have something called compartment syndrome, which increases the pressure in the calf muscle. The feeling when you have tight socks becomes very difficult and I understand that players choose to cut holes in their socks. But the pressure against the muscle from the socks is usually very small and I find it hard to see that it helps much, unless the socks are insanely tight. Usually I don’t think it makes a big difference, she says, adding:

– Compartment syndrome is a fairly common condition among elite players and then the feeling can become almost unbearable if you wear too tight socks.

In FIFA’s competition regulations stated that the football socks during the match must be whole and must not be cut or otherwise altered. However, such a wording is not found in the Swedish equivalent. However, the socks must not be cut off so that another sock with a different color appears.

– Regarding match uniforms, it is about the referees being able to identify the players and which team they belong to. However, there is no rule that regulates the condition of the clothes. Where it may become relevant for a judge to intervene is when it becomes difficult to identify who is wearing the socks when the colors have disappeared. The basic rule for equipment in general is that it should not be dangerous for either the player wearing it or for anyone else, explains Jan Berg, member of the Swedish Football Association’s referee committee with special responsibility for interpretation of rules.

He adds:

– The referee may instruct players to change socks in cases where they are difficult to identify. If they don’t listen, they may hand out a warning. But there is no rush to get there, but of course you always try to make the player and the team realize that there is an action that must take place.

Such an action however, the referee in the match between Degerfors and Elfsborg in April chose not to take action as Oscar Wallin’s socks had holes beyond the usual. Instead, the player was criticized by Discovery’s expert commentator Alexander Axén.

– Oh my God, is that supposed to be approved? Axén said as the cameras focused on Wallin’s extremely tattered socks.

– I had cut them at the beginning and during the match the holes had stretched out more and more. In the end, there wasn’t much fabric left in them, Wallin explains with a laugh and adds:

– I had a few slips in the comment section and saw some funny comments on Twitter afterwards. But it’s fun to see what people’s opinions are. It might not look that fancy, but it’s comfortable.

Read more:

No benefit to running in compression socks