Ismael Saibari sparks controversy in the German league

Socks like Swiss cheese: and the regulations hold a surprise! Torn socks have become more than a passing quirk in the stadiums. The holes in the socks of Ismael Saibari, Bayern Munich's new star, are now a talking point in the German league, with questions swirling over the legality of the matter and whether the Moroccan has actually breached competition regulations. Take Bayern's goalless draw with Schalke. The 25-year-old, a recent addition to the Bavarian side, took to the pitch in socks riddled with 12 holes, making his legs look as though they were wrapped in a piece of Swiss cheese, according to German newspaper "Bild". Holes in socks are nothing new in football. A number of players turn to them to relieve the pressure that tight socks place on the leg muscles, especially as the physical intensity of matches ramps up. One English expert told the "Mirror" that footballers' leg muscles swell during a match as blood flow increases with exertion. That makes the socks even tighter and piles more pressure on the muscles. Saibari himself addressed the issue recently, after his standout display in the 5-1 thumping of Stuttgart. He told "Bild" that it was about making sure his socks were not too tight, explaining that his leg muscles are thick. Are the holes in Saibari's socks permitted? Despite how common this has become, the German league's rules seem clear. The fourth appendix of the German Football League's licensing regulations, specifically the guidelines on match clothing and equipment issued on 5 December 2025, clause 42.1 c.3, states that "undersocks and visible ordinary socks must not contain holes". So, in theory, the holes in Saibari's socks fall foul of the wording in force in the German league. Yet the presence of holes does not automatically mean the referee will step in every time, as refereeing expert Lutz Wagner explained to "Bild". The 63-year-old said that FIFA and the International Football Association Board had ruled that the referee must be able to see clear colour distinction. That, he pointed out, is the most important point from the referee's perspective. He added that the referee must intervene if that distinction is no longer clear or guaranteed, because it ties directly into his ability to identify the offending player. The reason has nothing to do with how the socks look. It comes down to the referee's ability to quickly pick out the player who committed a foul. If the socks or equipment cause visual confusion, the referee may struggle to identify the culprit, and could end up booking the wrong player. Saibari's holed socks have become a striking case in the German league. It is not just the sheer number of holes, but the question over how far they comply with the rules, and whether referees will treat them as a violation demanding action or simply let them stand as an eye-catching detail on the pitch. This article first appeared on Goal.com and was syndicated with permission.