So Arsenal kit man Vic Akers gets all shirty with Mathieu Flamini because the midfielder snips off his sleeves and, thereby, breaks the unwritten rule of Follow My Captain.
Seriously? Whatever the French is for ‘you gotta be kidding’ then that is what Flamini must be thinking today.
According to Arsenal tradition, the player with the armband dictates what his team-mates must wear.
Frayed relations: Mathieu Flamini contravened Arsenal rules by cutting his shirt off at the elbow
Short shrift: Flamini is the odd one out in Arsenal line-up before the game on Tuesday night
The question is why. A strip is a strip is a strip. As long as it’s regulation, so what if sleeves differ in length?
Dress codes belong to the suits-tracksuit debate of reporting for duty and everyone from Arsene Wenger downwards are always uniformly immaculate.
But once the Lanvin whistle and flutes are replaced by Nike polyester, surely personal preference and comfort takes precedence.
Former Arsenal midfielder Samir Nasri used to get round the problem by rolling up his sleeves, Olivier Giroud does something similar.
Torn: The club's kit man is at loggerheads with the midfielder over the cutting of his shirt
Special case: Brian Talbot had to get permission from the Arsenal board to roll up his sleeves in the eighties
Flamini, who has been criticised by his manager, clearly does not go along with Thomas Vermaelen’s choice of arm cover.
Underarmour is the obvious rebels' option for chilly nights at this time of the year if the captain wants to go all macho. But he should be allowed to go it alone.
This is a rule which does not make sense. By extension, if the skipper fancies peacock-hued footwear, then everyone should wear boots that colour. Ditto, gloves. Woolly mitts for everyone or not at all.
Arsenal’s football tends to be aesthetically pleasing without the need for an anarchic, pernickety rule.
Happy? Arsene Wenger watched an efficient display by his slick Arsenal side at the Emirates
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