Antoine Semenyo lined up for Ghana’s World Cup Group L match against England in Boston wearing a white grip sock clearly visible between his socks and boots — a breach of FIFA rules that requires any added item of clothing to match the kit colour.
Section 2 of the IFAB’s Law 4 states: “Any tape or material applied externally to a sock must match the colour of the part of the sock it covers.” The Manchester City star’s white grip stood out against Ghana’s all-yellow strip, yet went unpunished.
“Antoine Semenyo broke FIFA sock rule in England vs Ghana match, with former ref highlighting law not applied.”
Former Premier League referee and PGMOL chief Keith Hackett was alerted to the incident on X. His response was blunt: “Well spotted Pat clearly law not being applied.”
The sock controversy was not the only flashpoint. At half-time, England midfielder Jude Bellingham became embroiled in an X-rated row with Ghana manager Carlos Queiroz, with the former Real Madrid boss later blaming Bellingham for the confrontation.
On the pitch, England’s Ezri Konsa made a last-ditch challenge on Ghana’s Prince Adu — a moment described by some as an anxious one for the Three Lions, with questions over whether it should have been a penalty. The match ended in a stalemate, leaving both sides with work to do as the expanded group stage draws to a close.
England now turn their attention to Panama, while Ghana face their final group fixture. Semenyo’s sock violation, meanwhile, has reignited debate over whether FIFA’s laws are being consistently applied at the tournament.