It’s fair to say that Thursday night’s game in Marseille was a pretty big deal.
It wasn’t just Germany versus France, it was world champions versus hosts; Kroos and Muller against Pogba and Griezmann… and all for a place in the final of the European Championships.
So, with the eyes of a continent trained on what was unfolding in the iconic Stade Velodrome, what would the viewers find most interesting about the early stages of such a fascinating encounter?
Socks.
More specifically, the referee’s socks.
Yep. Nicola Rizzoli’s choice of socks was one of the highlights of the first half in Marseille.
Of course, the officials were wearing the light blue efforts so as not to clash with the black socks worn by the Germans. Differentiating the socks makes it easier for linesmen to call offsides.
Has the referee just put on a random pair of socks that were lying around? #GERFRA #EURO2016
— Luke Smith (@Luke_D_S_Smith) July 7, 2016
https://twitter.com/tomfoot1/status/751134391947169792
https://twitter.com/StuartKinnie/status/751148248400793600
No Stuart. It definitely wasn’t just you…
https://twitter.com/iamconnaugh/status/751147563785588737
The referee's socks are the best part of this game so far #GERFRA
— John O'Keeffe (@jokeeffe88) July 7, 2016
And when the Italian awarded a penalty to France for Bastian Schweinsteiger’s handball, the conversation was *still* sock related.
https://twitter.com/grahamruthven/status/751140568802140161
That penalty was well harsh. That's what happens when your referee has on funny socks. #GERFRA
— Iain Martin (@IDNMartin) July 7, 2016
Griezmann converted from the spot and added a second in the first half. But even this wasn’t enough to make viewers put a sock in it…
Bit late to this match, catching up. Have the referee's socks got their own Twitter account yet?
— Lucy (@ceefaxisbetter) July 7, 2016
