17 February 2024 , 19:43
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Richard Keys has called on the Premier League to ban players from cutting holes in their kit after seeing Conor Gallagher with torn socks in Chelsea's 1-1 draw with Manchester City on Saturday.
Many footballers are seen wearing socks with holes in them as they believe it can help reduce the risk of injury. They feel the socks are simply too tight and that the extra compression increases the risk of them suffering a muscle injury.
As a result, many cut holes in their socks to reduce the pressure on their calves, including the likes of Gallagher, Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka and Kyle Walker. However, Keys is not a fan and took to social media to call for it to be banned.
"Enough of this nonsense," the beIN Sports presenter wrote alongside an image of Gallagher with holes in his socks. "There's no need for it. The Spanish have outlawed it (although Bellingham gets away with it). It's time we did."
La Liga rules do state that players are not allowed to wear kit that is torn and that any torn items must be replaced during a game. However, Bellingham does not seem to have been penalised for cutting holes in his socks and his Real Madrid teammate Brahim Diaz has even started copying him.
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"My calves had gone up in the last few matches and I didn't know why," Diaz told Spanish outlet Defensa Central back in December. "Bellingham runs for 90 minutes and he's fine, so I said I have to do something. Let's hope they don't blow up again now that I go up the stairs!"
Bellingham is currently out of action with an ankle injury he picked up in Real's 4-0 win over title rivals Girona earlier this month. He missed the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie against RB Leipzig, with Real winning the game 1-0 thanks to a goal from Diaz.
And manager Carlo Ancelotti was full of praise for Diaz for stepping up in Bellingham's absence. Ancelotti told TNT Sports: "He [Diaz] played really well. Obviously, Bellingham is a fantastic player and really important for us, but the fact we have a lot of injuries during the season gave everyone a strong motivation and they are doing really well.
"We played against a good team with a lot of intensity. We suffered a little bit at the start of the game, but after that we had a bit of control and were able to score a fantastic goal with Brahim.
Then we controlled the game, but it was really difficult because Leipzig are a team that plays with a lot of intensity and not easy to manage. We were good defensively and we go home with a good result."
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