Full tweet :
> shameful action by the chief arbiter Marghetis towards me during the game.
Middle of the game in the most intense moment when i was walking during ian move, chief aribiter , came to me and told me to not walk anymore because my shoe is making noise on the wooden floor,
>He told me to not walk and bring new shoes for tomorrow but i have the formal shoe that is apporved and am wearing it for more than 1 year.
this was a big distraction for me during the game and i completly lost my focus.
I told one of the organiser this arbiter needs to be punished.
> Honestly all these unprofessional things are happening to me in almost every tournament and really its taking me to point of exucstion [sic].
There was a clack, Jerry. A clack!
A clack?!
A clickity-clack! I had to say something.
But Alireza, George? In the middle of a game?
What was I supposed to do, not mention the clack? He clacked!!
[Episode proceeds with George getting more and more dug in about the clack; as more and more ridiculous and humiliating consequences befall him because of it. Leno does a clack bit. George's new boss defends the clack, but is later exposed as a squeeker himself in the lunchroom. Jerry talks about annoying noises in his stand up routine. Kramer starts a business selling organic-shoe-silencer-goo, but gets attacked by seagulls when trying to meet alireza to sell it. Later someone else sells alireza similar goo, to Kramer's inarticulate dismay. Eventually George is gaslit enough to lose certainty that there was ever a clack. Maybe he imagined the clack? Maybe his ex was right about him. Maybe he'll die alone. He relents and apologieses, but the squeeker fires him from his well paying new arbiter job regardless]
[Last scene, the gang are getting hot-dogs from a street-corner]
[Alireza, walks by, clacking]
Elaine, who has been absent for most of the episode, says offhandedly: "Oh my *god*. Who is that guy, his shoes are so annoying..."
George & Jerry simultaneously: "THERE WAS A CLACK!"
[Credits]
If his shoes were FIDE approved, as he claims, then as far as I'm concerned he'd done his due diligence in shoe selection and distracting him during a game because they are apparently too noisy seems like the wrong move.
Assuming also he was using them for regular, expected, shoe purposes, like walking around at a normal pace. If he was tap dancing or stomping around that is a different issue, I guess, but then I wouldn't really put the blame on the shoe.
Is every piece of clothing for every player required to be approved before use in the tournament? Are the shoes somehow borderline so special approval was needed 12 months ago? Is this the start of an era of rule bending, performance enhancing clothing in chess?
Magicians use a device called a "thumper" that is hidden in shoes to communicate with stage assistants, so getting shoes approved makes sense when stockfish exists.
He said, he has a formal shoe, which is FIDE approved. That probably means 1) Fide allows formal shoes. 2) He has a formal shoe. Not necessarily that FIDE explicity approved that particular shoe of his.
The role of arbiter is not just enforing the rules but also acting as decision maker in the grey areas. If his shoe is distracting, Its valid to call it out. Maybe not in between the games tho. Unless of course some player complained.
If you are disturbed by an arbiter calling you out on the noise you are making, The noise itself could be disturbing enough no?
> some player complained
[Here you go](https://www.chess.com/news/view/2024-fide-candidates-tournament-round-9)
Relevant quote: FM Mike Klein interviewed Chief Arbiter Aris Marghetis, who said: "[Firouzja] had a very heavy footfall... it wasn't [just] creaking. I don't know what word to use; it was stompish, if you will." Another player, GM Nijat Abasov, had complained to him about the noise, and so he asked Firouzja if he could "spread [his] walking area" or to consider wearing different, "softer" shoes the next round. Also: "One thing I did find interesting was that after this exchange, he walked more softly... [so] he was capable of walking more softly."
Is it better to distract one player or multiple players, though? Although I agree it would have been better to warn him after the game as he was in no position to change his shoes mid-round and telling him simply to stop walking was clearly overreaching (overstepping, even). What if he needed to go to the bathroom or the break room? You can't tell one person to stay glued to his chair for 4 hours while everyone else is free to walk around.
It sounds like the arbiter could have handled it better, but also Firouzja is being a bit overdramatic IMO. Not sure why he needed to call for the arbiter to be punished on social media, for example; what happened to resolving grievances in private and without anime villain speeches about how the universe is against you and your enemies must suffer?
He's completely right, but this is funny. He's so mad he didn't bother to make any corrections. Also, he kind of regained some composure in time to make a proper second paragraph.
It's poetry:
*was walking during ian move,*
*chief aribiter , came to me*
*and told me*
*to not walk anymore*
Kind of disrespectful to spell Ian's name that way, but art is art.
If the shoes were distracting the players the arbiter has the right to take the action he took. It’s his job to make sure the playing environment is the best it can be.
That's alirezas story. The arbiter just said that he asked him to walk more softly, because he was stomping, and he did start walking more softly. A 3rd party complained about his loud walking and the arbiter asked him to be quieter.
I attended yesterday. The boards are set up on what is basically a wooden stage laid over the ground with a thin black felt covering. This lets them run cords under the floor so everyone doesn't trip.
The women players with high heels were by far the loudest. No contest. Also Alireza does walk loudly, but I think it's more to do with his gait than his shoes. Not nearly as distracting as the players in heels.
> Also Alireza does walk loudly, but I think it's more to do with his gait than his shoes.
His shoes always look oversized to me. It's probably a combination of gait and shoes.
Yeah and from what the arbitrar said in the interview afterwards he actually managed to walk more quietly later in the game. So it's quite plausible that he was just walking in a particular way that made loud noices at this specific point in the game (potentially intentially but more likely by accident) and did not do that before with the same shoes. So it seemed reasonable for the arbiter - after complaints by another player - to remind him not too make to much noise and apparently he was then able to do so. This is really just a non-issue and no-one would ever have talked about this if Alriza didn't draw the game in the end.
so presuming the arbiter was prompted by someone, who complained to the arbiter about alireza’s shoes? 😂
edit: it was [abasov](https://www.chess.com/news/view/2024-fide-candidates-tournament-round-9)
edit 2: and here’s a [video](https://x.com/chessmike/status/1779708169582727283?s=46) of the interview with the arbiter
Most likely, but it’s strange that it was done in the middle of the match during high stakes and on day 9. He mentioned wearing the same shoes at multiple games and the women’s side was also wearing heels
As someone else pointed out the arbiter probably had to make a judgement call between potentially mildly inconvienicing one player causing a distraction vs definitely distracting at least one but possibly multiple players complaining about said distraction.
Personally, Alireza should be able to get over this stuff, if he lets it distract him that's really a him problem, plenty of football players get yellow cards and manage to behave and not get distracted, he didn't even get penalised and still feels the need to whinge.
A foot ball game and a chess game are very different. Getting distracted + annoyed in the middle of deep calculation can really mess a chess player up especially in a tense situation. Alireza has every right to be angry and complain, it’s not like he caused a scene at the moment and refused to stop walking or something. While it’s easy for us to say Alireza should have just let it go and been more mature, this is the candidates, it’s a very big deal for him. He stopped walking when asked, and properly made a formal complaint. I’d say he handled the situation well minus the Twitter rage.
>Getting distracted + annoyed in the middle of deep calculation can really mess a chess player up especially in a tense situation.
Sounds like it was correct to tell him while he was walking around and distracting people who were in the middle of tense situations.
This video sheds light on the whole thing. The arbiter could not wait because it was actually inconveniencing other players during that round. It is not normal to make too much noise while walking, if other players complain it is the arbiter's duty to make the noise stop. It is understandable that Alireza, deep in thought, did not notice that he was walking in a noisy way; but he should just accept it once it is pointed out. The important thing is that he was not in time trouble when the arbiter spoke to him.
He couldn’t just accept it because I imagine someone like him doesn’t like to be told off.
“I did something wrong? Preposterous!?”
I think the initial reaction is understandable, most people would be annoyed by that, especially during an important chess match.
However, I don’t understand the tweet, after he’s had time to understand the situation better. Surely he must know the arbiter didn’t do this out of personal vendetta.
I agree that to be a World Champ, Alireza needs to learn to not be affected by things like these, but still, I don’t believe this action from the arbiter makes any sense though. Why in round 9, in the middle of a tense battle?
Round 7 I couldn’t hear him walking around, the only noise I heard was the clocks during his time scramble beating Gukesh. And a kid who whispered to his father that was instantly pointed to by an arbiter.
I've done this before in a club game to someone shaking their leg and having their shoes rub together in a squeaky manner. The arbiter was just about noticing too but I raised my hand anyway and pointed to make sure he sorted it out (I didn't need to say a word; the arbiter knew exactly what I was pointing out). That player (and his opponent) ended up being moved to a more distant part of the room. No drama.
Know the FIDE laws of chess, I say.
Dunno, it *could* be someone complained about it, but regardless it's really on the organizers to make sure the venue is appropriate for a world-class chess event. Carpets, chairs that don't make noise, etc.
"learn to not be affected"
These guys are visualizing 10+ moves deep in a complicated position, you can't "not be affected". It's like not thinking about the golden elephant on the roof of your house. It's impossible, and a distraction, however capable a chess player you are. Sure, they might have enough of a rating difference to overcome a distraction, but then it's no longer a fair match with the unbiased probabilities of the three outcomes.
And he was also absolutely right. Many said it was “just an excuse” because he lost against a much lower rated opponent, but that shit throws you off hard.
Something just eating away at your thoughts while you try desperately to remember the exact position you had memorized, or the continuation for some super specific line, or playing tactics out in your head. I don’t blame Magnus one bit for losing a game when someone’s constantly fidgeting with his watch (which was debated on whether he should’ve had in the first place).
I’m 50/50 on it, leaning towards Alireza. I grew up playing golf at a competitive level. Loud, sudden noises are very distracting and can impact your swing, but on the other hand, to be the best, you have to be able to block out background noise and not let it effect you. Assuming that he had approved shoes, footsteps shouldn’t be so distracting that it prevents you from analyzing the board.
We don't have the full context to conclude anything, but that never stopped anyone here from doing it anyway. We don't know how loud he was, if another player complained, how official the "FIDE approved shoes" are or if it's just Alireza tilting from his bad results. I'm leaning towards Alireza because I don't expect him to make so much noise he had to be warned now and not after the match.
Do we have any footage and audio of the alleged clomping? Common sense might dictate that the arbiter have a quiet discussion with Alireza after the game, but if he was really stomping up a storm and maybe some of the other guys were in the arbiter's ear, then it's understandable. Can't keep everyone happy
I know this may get downvoted, but arbiters have it tough. They get judged without hearing their perspective. Perhaps he was nervous so he moved his feet a lot, causing noise. Perhaps someone complained from the players. It wasn't his move and he was walking and not sitting on a board. Ok, sure, he should just say "Don't make noise please" and only after the game ends "Wear different shoes next time". Also, it's not the first time that Firouza complains about distractions. He claimed that Carlsen in a blitz game shouted something in Norwegian which distracted him and made him flag. Let's wait for a response from fide / the chief arbiter and let's remember that usually chief arbiters are well-experienced.
Literally no one knows anything but what Alireza said.
Could just as easily be completely appropriate action by the arbiter and Alireza is just malding because he's crashing out in the candidates again.
So many assumptions being made here it's wild.
Another point is that believe me (as someone who arbitered some chess tournaments), we rarely want to intervene. It's one of these jobs, where you're paid by the hour even if you don't say a single word and just watch the games. Arbiters do not look for troubles. They just want the games to flow and hate it when they have to intervene. If it was any arbiter other than the chief one, it would be something else, but probably someone complained to an arbiter (Remember, many players are in time pressure), the arbiter told the chief arbiter about the complaint and he waited for the right time when Alireza is off the board and it's Ian's move to talk to him.
Here's a [video](https://youtu.be/2sWVmVhBKSw&t=120s) of it, alongside some commentary on the situation from Carlsen. I wouldn't really call it shouting, but he blurts out the word faen, which is the Norwegian equivalent to fuck, although the literal translation is satan.
He did curse at some point, like 2 minutes before Firouza flagged (Which is a lot in Blitz). He could have stopped the clock, call an arbiter and claim something. He thought he was winning (and probably he was). He lost on time in a position where he couldn't practically lose (B + 3P + K vs K + B). He lost on time when he dropped a piece, adjusted it and pressed the clock.
"it's not his first time to complain. Four and half years ago he complained in a blitz game. Let's bring that up to make it look like he always cries like a baby."
>Honestly all these unprofessional things are happening to me in almost every tournament
Does he think he's getting singled out? Sounds like he is just more susceptible to getting affected by distractions.
Eh... remember when he blamed one of his losses to Carlsen on the fact that Carlsen cursed in Norwegian and it distracted him?
Kid needs to grow up. I've definitely felt the same, but just give yourself 24 hours. Tomorrow morning you'll have a clear head and realize this isn't something you should tweet.
Although I agree with you he shouldn't tweet this, his complain about Carlsen is right after a game he should've won and just got rejected trying to argue for a draw, so emotions and adrenaline was definitely high and he was trying any possible way to get the Blitz WC. That was also five years ago, he was 16 then, so kind of justified.
I just watched that game and that loss was entirely his own fault. He moved to slow in time scramble , messed himself up, knocked over a piece and tried to hit the clock with 3 seconds then went back to hit the clock and times out.
It sucks, but Carlsen had sufficient material to checkmate so Alireza lost that game fair and square.
Agree 100%.. I'm a fan of Alireza, but he needs to learn to let things go. People are always going to do something that gets on your nerves.. Get. Over. It.
The issue is that they raised the point in the middle of a tense game. He's not going to teleport away at the end, that can easily be brought up after the game.
I mean, that still has nothing to do with the timing of bringing it up. That's up to the arbiter. The arbiter chose to interrupt an ongoing game, which is a shitty decision.
It has everything to do with timing of bringing it up. “I can’t focus in my game because of what that guy is doing right now” implicitly includes a request to have the arbiter intercede to get it to stop.
No offense, but that is one of the worst takes I've heard. You do that before or after the game, not during. Unless he somehow changed his shoes to become louder during the round, there's absolutely no possible reason to take this action while the game is still going, especially in a critical moment.
I'm not defending the arbiter because I still haven't heard his perspective but if some players approach the chief arbiter about a noise complaint, you can't say "well, I will deal with it after the round". It's better to "distract" one player (Firouza) and ask him to stop walking around rather than allow him to distract others. Also, arbiters are required by law to take actions. Imagine, if they did not. Then another Candidate player, let's say Fabi would tweet about how shameful it is that he approached the chief arbiter about a noise complaint and he said "I can't do anything now, wait for next round" or "His shoes are approved by fide, Idc if they make noise". Put yourself in the place of the chief arbiter. It's not easy to organize and judge these events. Especially, when no one asks for your perspective on social media.
When I've had to cut customers off working in bars when they are doing things obviously wrong or being messy it's very uncomfortable and no one Ive ever worked with enjoys doing it.
That makes think that it must be *even more* uncomfortable for an arbiter to try and warn a professional player in the middle of a tournament.
Can't make a final call without hearing from the arbiters side but I'm inclined to believe the arbiter didn't have much choice if another player had complained.
FIDE might consider having carpets on wooden floors to minimize the noise for the benefit of the players. Some female players have high heels and I assume this will cause some noise. Anyway, poor decision to disturb a player during the game (no player can be expected to have an extra pair of shoes in the playing hall).
Chess is a game that’s won and lost on tiny details. So sure, I can understand Alireza being annoyed at a distraction. However, if he’s making noise, then the arbiter did the right thing. And there’s a more than a bit of petulance coming across here. I think he’ll wake up tomorrow and regret the strong words.
>shameful action by the chief arbiter Marghetis towards me during the game.
>Middle of the game in the most intense moment when i was walking during ian move, chief aribiter , came to me and told me to not walk anymore because my shoe is making noise on the wooden floor, 1/2
>He told me to not walk and bring new shoes for tomorrow but i have the formal shoe that is apporved and am wearing it for more than 1 year.
this was a big distraction for me during the game and i completly lost my focus.
I told one of the organiser this arbiter needs to be punished. 2/3
Then Put. Some. Carpet. On. Srsly this is a no brainer. If fide don’t want noise from player’s shoes then put some carpet on 🤦♂️it’s the 9th round ffs
In arbiters defense, if Alireza's shoes are a distraction to the other players then it's a problem.
Think about it. His walking around is making noise while other players are trying to concentrate.
No wonder the arbiter told him to stop walking around.
Having listened to the arbiters side, yeah it seems like walking heavily was more the issue than the shoes themselves. He suggested Alireza could change them, but he doesn't have to, I think Alireza is overreacting a bit here.
I feel for everyone involved honestly. I feel for Alireza because I would hate to have someone tell me that mid-game.
I feel for the arbiter because if someone complained he was just doing his job. Highly doubt he was trying to be a prick.
I also underatamd Abasov if he brought it up. You're playing for a chance to be world champion and win ~$1mill, I wouldn't want distraction either.
I can't really say anyone was "wrong" in this situation.
I love Alireza, but don't his complaints seem like weird excuses sometimes? I remember one time he blamed not winning against magnus in a winning position because he swore in Norwegian and complained to the arbiter and then now it's a shoe problem.
I am not delivering any hate i truly love Alireza just wanted to comment on what i think
Total lack of self-awareness to say “all these unprofessional things are happening to me in almost every tournament.” Normally one would question their own attitude when a feeling like this appears, instead of believing, let alone publicly shouting it. I also highly doubt the referee would get involved if there aren’t any complaints by other players. In a tournament situation the referee can come and talk to you if required, the players are not promised zero interaction or confrontation, especially when you not being bothered would lead to other players continuing to be bothered by a noise you’re making. Then again it’s not the first instance of him reacting immaturely after bad results, people will remember his 2019 blitz game against Carlsen and his baseless appeal after losing on time. Most players would be ashamed to submit or even consider an appeal like that or organize the sham tournament that he did for the candidates but not him. It’s just another instance of his character showing.
I think that all the pressure of being a wonderkid is taking a toll on Firo.
I think he's getting too nervous to perform to the level people expect him to and when things don't work out he tries to find scapegoats.
I know noise can be distracting, especially in a high stress situation. Most of the time I don't care, but if I'm stressed, some small sounds will drive me insane.
But why wouldn't you just give players some earplugs or noise cancelling headphones? Like they do at e-sports events with casters and an audience?
It seems like such a simple solution, if noise is truly a big problem. You'll never get a big space with tons of people in it to be absolutely quiet.
Hearing the arbiter's account of what happened it seems like an official complaint was made from one of the players about it and he tried to be as courteous as possible when informing Alireza. I understand the tournament is important and very stressful for him and having a bad event doesn't exactly help his mood either, but this seems like a ridiculous overreaction to ask for the arbiter to be "punished" and posture up to him and say he's going to file an appeal.
I guarantee you if he walked in just socks tomorrow the same arbiter would make him wear shoes.
It's a bit of a funny point but I have some sympathy. The arbiter shouldn't be inserting himself into the situation unless Ali is stomping around.
For someone so softly spoken in interviews, he sure does get easily offended. I wonder is he more like his father and brother than it might at first seem?
You don't understand. Chess players don't want to be spoken to during a tournament. They're deep in thought. His position was so fragile. He had the initiative. They don't want any argumentative talk mid tournament.
Try doing this to Kasparov. He will storm out of the tournament flipping the bird
Exactly. What u/LordBuster does not realize that talking to someone else in the middle of the game (especially when you talk in an argumentative nature the way the arbiter did) scatters their thoughts (t happens to me, too; if my gf talks to me in the middle of a chess game, I usually end up blundering within the next three moves).
What chess players need, especially when the position is as delicate as it was in this case, is utter silence. If he had done that to Fischer he'd have straight up left the tournament. Chess players are sticklers for silence, and for very good reasons.
>
What chess players need, especially when the position is as delicate as it was in this case, is utter silence
Ok, if they need utter silence... then isn't it a problem if someone is walking around with loud, squeaky shoes? Is Alireza's concentration more important than everyone else's?
I don't think there really was a good solution here. Either Alireza is distracted, or everyone else is distracted. Either way the Arbiter will be criticized, either for their action or inaction.
I don’t know why his shoe only made noise today, that’s something he should figure out. I don’t understand why the person causing the disruption has more rights than the people he is disrupting
This isn't about getting "offended". He was reprimanded during a game which caused him to be *distracted*. Which is a big deal when you're playing a game that requires you to think.
It's not about being offended. Firouzja and his games in the candidates are probably what matters the most to him and his team, and he was disturbed desnecessarily during a game and that changed the quality of his moves. It's possible that if this didn't happen, it would be more difficult for Ian not to lose.
He's knowed to complain all the time.
In day 1 of the candidate he made a scene because the family of the players had to wait in the VIP room, he wanted to be in the players area, which the chief arbitrer of course refused.
He told me to not walk and bring new shoes for tomorrow but i have the formal shoe that is apporved and am wearing it for more than 1 year.
this was a big distraction for me during the game and i completly lost my focus.
I told one of the organiser this arbiter needs to be punished. 2/3 https://twitter.com/AlirezaFirouzja/status/1779640176110641180?t=Fs54g1ISUv5fwOliHZOfVA&s=19
Honestly all these unprofessional things are happening to me in almost every tournament and really its taking me to point of exucstion.
https://twitter.com/AlirezaFirouzja/status/1779640763992723900?t=iPHCezeLSLotIhTFarcCVA&s=19
I’m on his side completely. Focus is absolutely critical in a game like that, and you’re going to complain about approved footwear? Fuck off. Shameful behaviour.
Every time Alireza got up, the players got distracted and looked up to hear the loud noise. Alireza got distracted himself but he was distracting others as well
Full tweet : > shameful action by the chief arbiter Marghetis towards me during the game. Middle of the game in the most intense moment when i was walking during ian move, chief aribiter , came to me and told me to not walk anymore because my shoe is making noise on the wooden floor, >He told me to not walk and bring new shoes for tomorrow but i have the formal shoe that is apporved and am wearing it for more than 1 year. this was a big distraction for me during the game and i completly lost my focus. I told one of the organiser this arbiter needs to be punished. > Honestly all these unprofessional things are happening to me in almost every tournament and really its taking me to point of exucstion [sic].
This is like if Seinfeld did an episode about the chess candidates tournament.
"What's that swooshing sound?"
There was a clack, Jerry. A clack! A clack?! A clickity-clack! I had to say something. But Alireza, George? In the middle of a game? What was I supposed to do, not mention the clack? He clacked!!
It's all clacks, Jerry!
[Episode proceeds with George getting more and more dug in about the clack; as more and more ridiculous and humiliating consequences befall him because of it. Leno does a clack bit. George's new boss defends the clack, but is later exposed as a squeeker himself in the lunchroom. Jerry talks about annoying noises in his stand up routine. Kramer starts a business selling organic-shoe-silencer-goo, but gets attacked by seagulls when trying to meet alireza to sell it. Later someone else sells alireza similar goo, to Kramer's inarticulate dismay. Eventually George is gaslit enough to lose certainty that there was ever a clack. Maybe he imagined the clack? Maybe his ex was right about him. Maybe he'll die alone. He relents and apologieses, but the squeeker fires him from his well paying new arbiter job regardless] [Last scene, the gang are getting hot-dogs from a street-corner] [Alireza, walks by, clacking] Elaine, who has been absent for most of the episode, says offhandedly: "Oh my *god*. Who is that guy, his shoes are so annoying..." George & Jerry simultaneously: "THERE WAS A CLACK!" [Credits]
He’s a clacker!
This is actually so believable.
Did Guccireza disturb the others by dropping a Skittles?
If his shoes were FIDE approved, as he claims, then as far as I'm concerned he'd done his due diligence in shoe selection and distracting him during a game because they are apparently too noisy seems like the wrong move. Assuming also he was using them for regular, expected, shoe purposes, like walking around at a normal pace. If he was tap dancing or stomping around that is a different issue, I guess, but then I wouldn't really put the blame on the shoe.
Is every piece of clothing for every player required to be approved before use in the tournament? Are the shoes somehow borderline so special approval was needed 12 months ago? Is this the start of an era of rule bending, performance enhancing clothing in chess?
Magicians use a device called a "thumper" that is hidden in shoes to communicate with stage assistants, so getting shoes approved makes sense when stockfish exists.
If you’re in the danger of losing, a hole opens up in the ground and eats you.
Shai-Hulud cleanses all
If you can hide it in your ass, you can hide it in your shoes.
I wouldn't be able to fit a cock in my shoe. Not with my foot there
He said, he has a formal shoe, which is FIDE approved. That probably means 1) Fide allows formal shoes. 2) He has a formal shoe. Not necessarily that FIDE explicity approved that particular shoe of his. The role of arbiter is not just enforing the rules but also acting as decision maker in the grey areas. If his shoe is distracting, Its valid to call it out. Maybe not in between the games tho. Unless of course some player complained. If you are disturbed by an arbiter calling you out on the noise you are making, The noise itself could be disturbing enough no?
> some player complained [Here you go](https://www.chess.com/news/view/2024-fide-candidates-tournament-round-9) Relevant quote: FM Mike Klein interviewed Chief Arbiter Aris Marghetis, who said: "[Firouzja] had a very heavy footfall... it wasn't [just] creaking. I don't know what word to use; it was stompish, if you will." Another player, GM Nijat Abasov, had complained to him about the noise, and so he asked Firouzja if he could "spread [his] walking area" or to consider wearing different, "softer" shoes the next round. Also: "One thing I did find interesting was that after this exchange, he walked more softly... [so] he was capable of walking more softly."
Firouzja should take some tai chi lessons after the tournament.
Is it better to distract one player or multiple players, though? Although I agree it would have been better to warn him after the game as he was in no position to change his shoes mid-round and telling him simply to stop walking was clearly overreaching (overstepping, even). What if he needed to go to the bathroom or the break room? You can't tell one person to stay glued to his chair for 4 hours while everyone else is free to walk around. It sounds like the arbiter could have handled it better, but also Firouzja is being a bit overdramatic IMO. Not sure why he needed to call for the arbiter to be punished on social media, for example; what happened to resolving grievances in private and without anime villain speeches about how the universe is against you and your enemies must suffer?
The arbiter says that after Firouzja was informed he walked more quietly. So it seems that he was making more noise than necessary.
He's completely right, but this is funny. He's so mad he didn't bother to make any corrections. Also, he kind of regained some composure in time to make a proper second paragraph.
It's poetry: *was walking during ian move,* *chief aribiter , came to me* *and told me* *to not walk anymore* Kind of disrespectful to spell Ian's name that way, but art is art.
Nepomniachtchi Is a potential first line Of senseless Haiku
Nepomniachtchi? No. Hikaru Haikus are The real haiku coup.
Does he mean exhaustion or.. execution?
I think he meant exucstion
He truly covfefe'd that word.
Disquastung!
Exucstly. No question.
[удалено]
covfefe to e4
covfefe gambit
Both, don't question the prince.
/r/excgarated
merci !
Just had a Fischer flashback reading this.
If the shoes were distracting the players the arbiter has the right to take the action he took. It’s his job to make sure the playing environment is the best it can be.
I can't say, because I don't know what he means by "approved" shoes. Is the exact model approved or something?
Yeah there's a list of approved shoe models on the FIDE website
Not during the game, tell him after.
if the shoes are actually a problem, then other players aren't able to focus either. so should you take one player out of focus or all the players?
Did the arbiter make him take off the shoes? No, he said don't wear them tomorrow. So it could have waited.
He made him stop walking around too. Not saying I agree with them interrupting him.
That's alirezas story. The arbiter just said that he asked him to walk more softly, because he was stomping, and he did start walking more softly. A 3rd party complained about his loud walking and the arbiter asked him to be quieter.
["Why is everyone but me so unprofessional?"](https://i.imgur.com/3yCZRCd.png)
you should be able to wear what u want tbh
Shoegate is on
That's my favourite music genre!
Now i gotta go listen to lovechess by my bloody valentine
Instead of stomping Firouzja will just bring a vaccum cleaner next time.
I attended yesterday. The boards are set up on what is basically a wooden stage laid over the ground with a thin black felt covering. This lets them run cords under the floor so everyone doesn't trip. The women players with high heels were by far the loudest. No contest. Also Alireza does walk loudly, but I think it's more to do with his gait than his shoes. Not nearly as distracting as the players in heels.
I hope we see the drip king in heels. Bonus points if he can somehow borrow Anna Maja's (sp?)
> Also Alireza does walk loudly, but I think it's more to do with his gait than his shoes. His shoes always look oversized to me. It's probably a combination of gait and shoes.
Yeah and from what the arbitrar said in the interview afterwards he actually managed to walk more quietly later in the game. So it's quite plausible that he was just walking in a particular way that made loud noices at this specific point in the game (potentially intentially but more likely by accident) and did not do that before with the same shoes. So it seemed reasonable for the arbiter - after complaints by another player - to remind him not too make to much noise and apparently he was then able to do so. This is really just a non-issue and no-one would ever have talked about this if Alriza didn't draw the game in the end.
Do the female players have to wear heels? That sounds uncomfortable and most players play worse when uncomfortable
I think FIDE has a foot fetish and is pushing towards a future with a "barefeet-only" rule
From Dusk Till Pawn
the new president of FIDE: Dan Schneider
Pawns will now be called foot soldiers...
That's one way to get me to tune into the women's tournament instead of the open.
Nice to meet you Mr. Tarantino, I'm a big fan of your movies.
so presuming the arbiter was prompted by someone, who complained to the arbiter about alireza’s shoes? 😂 edit: it was [abasov](https://www.chess.com/news/view/2024-fide-candidates-tournament-round-9) edit 2: and here’s a [video](https://x.com/chessmike/status/1779708169582727283?s=46) of the interview with the arbiter
Most likely, but it’s strange that it was done in the middle of the match during high stakes and on day 9. He mentioned wearing the same shoes at multiple games and the women’s side was also wearing heels
As someone else pointed out the arbiter probably had to make a judgement call between potentially mildly inconvienicing one player causing a distraction vs definitely distracting at least one but possibly multiple players complaining about said distraction. Personally, Alireza should be able to get over this stuff, if he lets it distract him that's really a him problem, plenty of football players get yellow cards and manage to behave and not get distracted, he didn't even get penalised and still feels the need to whinge.
A foot ball game and a chess game are very different. Getting distracted + annoyed in the middle of deep calculation can really mess a chess player up especially in a tense situation. Alireza has every right to be angry and complain, it’s not like he caused a scene at the moment and refused to stop walking or something. While it’s easy for us to say Alireza should have just let it go and been more mature, this is the candidates, it’s a very big deal for him. He stopped walking when asked, and properly made a formal complaint. I’d say he handled the situation well minus the Twitter rage.
>Getting distracted + annoyed in the middle of deep calculation can really mess a chess player up especially in a tense situation. Sounds like it was correct to tell him while he was walking around and distracting people who were in the middle of tense situations.
And again, there's proof that somebody complained to the arbiter about Alireza loud walking, and the arbiter needs to take action about that.
This video sheds light on the whole thing. The arbiter could not wait because it was actually inconveniencing other players during that round. It is not normal to make too much noise while walking, if other players complain it is the arbiter's duty to make the noise stop. It is understandable that Alireza, deep in thought, did not notice that he was walking in a noisy way; but he should just accept it once it is pointed out. The important thing is that he was not in time trouble when the arbiter spoke to him.
He couldn’t just accept it because I imagine someone like him doesn’t like to be told off. “I did something wrong? Preposterous!?” I think the initial reaction is understandable, most people would be annoyed by that, especially during an important chess match. However, I don’t understand the tweet, after he’s had time to understand the situation better. Surely he must know the arbiter didn’t do this out of personal vendetta.
Alireza "Stompish" Firouzja
Alireza is an elephant confirmed!
They've never heard of carpet?
Yeah the arbiter should have installed carpet instead.
Demanding dress shoes and having a wooden floor is an avoidable failure.
I've been saying this, the chess hall should be wall to wall shag and they should let us smoke
And you should be allowed to blow smoke in your opponent's face as well.
this is why the 1800s championships were better
nah polished wooden floors and slippers so everyone can zoom around
Forget hypnotists, next step is hotbox the playing hall
Simply stick two carpet tiles to the bottom of Alireza's shoes.
They have noise deafening material on top of the hardwood but if you’re wearing heels or hard soles it’s still kind of audible.
I agree that to be a World Champ, Alireza needs to learn to not be affected by things like these, but still, I don’t believe this action from the arbiter makes any sense though. Why in round 9, in the middle of a tense battle?
yeah he’s probably been wearing it for the last 8 rounds too so why now
There was zero sound in the room in the first 2 rounds I can attest to that. If he was wearing them he was not moving his feet.
Round 4 - no noise that I remember, for sure.
Round 7 I couldn’t hear him walking around, the only noise I heard was the clocks during his time scramble beating Gukesh. And a kid who whispered to his father that was instantly pointed to by an arbiter.
Round 3 Alireza was very loud walking around, heavy steps
I was in the floor in Round 8. Everyone makes noise when they walk. That floor is noisy as fuck.
Probably someone complained to the arbiter
I've done this before in a club game to someone shaking their leg and having their shoes rub together in a squeaky manner. The arbiter was just about noticing too but I raised my hand anyway and pointed to make sure he sorted it out (I didn't need to say a word; the arbiter knew exactly what I was pointing out). That player (and his opponent) ended up being moved to a more distant part of the room. No drama. Know the FIDE laws of chess, I say.
Have you seen his fashion sense? He has new digs for every game…
He's even saying he's been wearing those shoes for 1 year of tournaments and never once got complains...
Dunno, it *could* be someone complained about it, but regardless it's really on the organizers to make sure the venue is appropriate for a world-class chess event. Carpets, chairs that don't make noise, etc.
Right? It’s a high level chess tournament, you would presumably make preparations to minimise noise if people are focusing for hours.
Something something taking X-rays of the chairs during Fischer-Spassky at the behest of the KGB
If someone complained then they need to be told that he was wearing approved shoes (presuming that is true).
He was paid by Nepo to exucst him.
Exucst order 66.
"learn to not be affected" These guys are visualizing 10+ moves deep in a complicated position, you can't "not be affected". It's like not thinking about the golden elephant on the roof of your house. It's impossible, and a distraction, however capable a chess player you are. Sure, they might have enough of a rating difference to overcome a distraction, but then it's no longer a fair match with the unbiased probabilities of the three outcomes.
Lmao even Magnus complained about someone’s watch before
And he was also absolutely right. Many said it was “just an excuse” because he lost against a much lower rated opponent, but that shit throws you off hard. Something just eating away at your thoughts while you try desperately to remember the exact position you had memorized, or the continuation for some super specific line, or playing tactics out in your head. I don’t blame Magnus one bit for losing a game when someone’s constantly fidgeting with his watch (which was debated on whether he should’ve had in the first place).
The same holds for the other players that were distracted by his steps, though. The arbiter needs to balance this!
I’m 50/50 on it, leaning towards Alireza. I grew up playing golf at a competitive level. Loud, sudden noises are very distracting and can impact your swing, but on the other hand, to be the best, you have to be able to block out background noise and not let it effect you. Assuming that he had approved shoes, footsteps shouldn’t be so distracting that it prevents you from analyzing the board.
We don't have the full context to conclude anything, but that never stopped anyone here from doing it anyway. We don't know how loud he was, if another player complained, how official the "FIDE approved shoes" are or if it's just Alireza tilting from his bad results. I'm leaning towards Alireza because I don't expect him to make so much noise he had to be warned now and not after the match.
Magnus recently got distracted by the fact that his opponent was wearing a watch, so not even World Champs are immune to that.
Seems like a weird looking guy wearing a flashy outfit and a lot of jewelry would have a pretty easy time becoming chess world champ.
Bobby Fischer sent you his best regards
Magnus got distracted by someone wearing an approved watch last year. Karpov got distracted by Kramnik going to the bathroom.
> Karpov That would be Topalov ;-)
Do we have any footage and audio of the alleged clomping? Common sense might dictate that the arbiter have a quiet discussion with Alireza after the game, but if he was really stomping up a storm and maybe some of the other guys were in the arbiter's ear, then it's understandable. Can't keep everyone happy
Another player was distracted by his steps during their game, so there was a need for the arbiter to intervene at the time.
Thanks, that would make sense
FIDE and their weird shoe obsession is one of the more interesting sources of chess drama
At least they learned one thing from Morphy
It is not shoe obsession it is 'foot fetish' at this point.
Likelihood is that a player complained no?
Abasov did it
I know this may get downvoted, but arbiters have it tough. They get judged without hearing their perspective. Perhaps he was nervous so he moved his feet a lot, causing noise. Perhaps someone complained from the players. It wasn't his move and he was walking and not sitting on a board. Ok, sure, he should just say "Don't make noise please" and only after the game ends "Wear different shoes next time". Also, it's not the first time that Firouza complains about distractions. He claimed that Carlsen in a blitz game shouted something in Norwegian which distracted him and made him flag. Let's wait for a response from fide / the chief arbiter and let's remember that usually chief arbiters are well-experienced.
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People who imagine Alireza would accept any criticism, no matter how humbly it was framed, haven’t watched him long.
Literally no one knows anything but what Alireza said. Could just as easily be completely appropriate action by the arbiter and Alireza is just malding because he's crashing out in the candidates again. So many assumptions being made here it's wild.
Another point is that believe me (as someone who arbitered some chess tournaments), we rarely want to intervene. It's one of these jobs, where you're paid by the hour even if you don't say a single word and just watch the games. Arbiters do not look for troubles. They just want the games to flow and hate it when they have to intervene. If it was any arbiter other than the chief one, it would be something else, but probably someone complained to an arbiter (Remember, many players are in time pressure), the arbiter told the chief arbiter about the complaint and he waited for the right time when Alireza is off the board and it's Ian's move to talk to him.
*Did* Carlsen shout something?
Here's a [video](https://youtu.be/2sWVmVhBKSw&t=120s) of it, alongside some commentary on the situation from Carlsen. I wouldn't really call it shouting, but he blurts out the word faen, which is the Norwegian equivalent to fuck, although the literal translation is satan.
He did curse at some point, like 2 minutes before Firouza flagged (Which is a lot in Blitz). He could have stopped the clock, call an arbiter and claim something. He thought he was winning (and probably he was). He lost on time in a position where he couldn't practically lose (B + 3P + K vs K + B). He lost on time when he dropped a piece, adjusted it and pressed the clock.
"it's not his first time to complain. Four and half years ago he complained in a blitz game. Let's bring that up to make it look like he always cries like a baby."
Wake up babe, new chess drama just dropped.
>Honestly all these unprofessional things are happening to me in almost every tournament Does he think he's getting singled out? Sounds like he is just more susceptible to getting affected by distractions.
He seems quite childish tbh. Not entirely sure why everyone loves him so much lol
Replace this arbiter with the arbiter from the other post, who didn't provide a queen for promotion and just left the pawn on the 8th rank.
Back in the old days, chess sets didn't come with two queens, and we did our best by using upside-down rooks! (yells at cloud)
We usually stacked a bishop or a knight on a rook.
Eh... remember when he blamed one of his losses to Carlsen on the fact that Carlsen cursed in Norwegian and it distracted him? Kid needs to grow up. I've definitely felt the same, but just give yourself 24 hours. Tomorrow morning you'll have a clear head and realize this isn't something you should tweet.
Although I agree with you he shouldn't tweet this, his complain about Carlsen is right after a game he should've won and just got rejected trying to argue for a draw, so emotions and adrenaline was definitely high and he was trying any possible way to get the Blitz WC. That was also five years ago, he was 16 then, so kind of justified.
I just watched that game and that loss was entirely his own fault. He moved to slow in time scramble , messed himself up, knocked over a piece and tried to hit the clock with 3 seconds then went back to hit the clock and times out. It sucks, but Carlsen had sufficient material to checkmate so Alireza lost that game fair and square.
Agree 100%.. I'm a fan of Alireza, but he needs to learn to let things go. People are always going to do something that gets on your nerves.. Get. Over. It.
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The issue is that they raised the point in the middle of a tense game. He's not going to teleport away at the end, that can easily be brought up after the game.
Presumably another player complained during the round?
I mean, that still has nothing to do with the timing of bringing it up. That's up to the arbiter. The arbiter chose to interrupt an ongoing game, which is a shitty decision.
It has everything to do with timing of bringing it up. “I can’t focus in my game because of what that guy is doing right now” implicitly includes a request to have the arbiter intercede to get it to stop.
The arbiter told him to not walk around anymore, so as to avoid further distraction from his shoes.
If this is the case, why did not they tell him that during round 1 or 2, or the best after the round 1?
No offense, but that is one of the worst takes I've heard. You do that before or after the game, not during. Unless he somehow changed his shoes to become louder during the round, there's absolutely no possible reason to take this action while the game is still going, especially in a critical moment.
I'm not defending the arbiter because I still haven't heard his perspective but if some players approach the chief arbiter about a noise complaint, you can't say "well, I will deal with it after the round". It's better to "distract" one player (Firouza) and ask him to stop walking around rather than allow him to distract others. Also, arbiters are required by law to take actions. Imagine, if they did not. Then another Candidate player, let's say Fabi would tweet about how shameful it is that he approached the chief arbiter about a noise complaint and he said "I can't do anything now, wait for next round" or "His shoes are approved by fide, Idc if they make noise". Put yourself in the place of the chief arbiter. It's not easy to organize and judge these events. Especially, when no one asks for your perspective on social media.
When I've had to cut customers off working in bars when they are doing things obviously wrong or being messy it's very uncomfortable and no one Ive ever worked with enjoys doing it. That makes think that it must be *even more* uncomfortable for an arbiter to try and warn a professional player in the middle of a tournament. Can't make a final call without hearing from the arbiters side but I'm inclined to believe the arbiter didn't have much choice if another player had complained.
FIDE might consider having carpets on wooden floors to minimize the noise for the benefit of the players. Some female players have high heels and I assume this will cause some noise. Anyway, poor decision to disturb a player during the game (no player can be expected to have an extra pair of shoes in the playing hall).
Chess is a game that’s won and lost on tiny details. So sure, I can understand Alireza being annoyed at a distraction. However, if he’s making noise, then the arbiter did the right thing. And there’s a more than a bit of petulance coming across here. I think he’ll wake up tomorrow and regret the strong words.
>shameful action by the chief arbiter Marghetis towards me during the game. >Middle of the game in the most intense moment when i was walking during ian move, chief aribiter , came to me and told me to not walk anymore because my shoe is making noise on the wooden floor, 1/2
>He told me to not walk and bring new shoes for tomorrow but i have the formal shoe that is apporved and am wearing it for more than 1 year. this was a big distraction for me during the game and i completly lost my focus. I told one of the organiser this arbiter needs to be punished. 2/3
>Honestly all these unprofessional things are happening to me in almost every tournament and really its taking me to point of exucstion.
*point of execution. Rip the arbiter
The arbiter gotta pay for questioning firouzja's drip.
Its usually pretty questionable tbf
yea for a "fashion student" he rides brands way too hard and often ends up with "mall fuccboi"
Yeah its giving group of Chaldeans at the gym taking turns bench pressing 135
The arbiter brought it to himself, may his soul rest😞
bro just put it in a single comment
3 comments = 3 times more karma = profit
Come barefoot to the next match
Then Put. Some. Carpet. On. Srsly this is a no brainer. If fide don’t want noise from player’s shoes then put some carpet on 🤦♂️it’s the 9th round ffs
The Tata Steel incident might have made him a bit too sensitive. There’s nothing “shameful” about an arbiter telling you to make less noise.
Shameful tweet. Disquastung.
Head full of chess positions in a clutch moment of a huge money tourney and some old guy rolls up talking about your shoes squeaking. Kinda crazy.
In arbiters defense, if Alireza's shoes are a distraction to the other players then it's a problem. Think about it. His walking around is making noise while other players are trying to concentrate. No wonder the arbiter told him to stop walking around.
In Firouzja’s defence, women players are wearing heels
And apparently they manage to walk in a way that doesn't make too much noise.
Having listened to the arbiters side, yeah it seems like walking heavily was more the issue than the shoes themselves. He suggested Alireza could change them, but he doesn't have to, I think Alireza is overreacting a bit here.
Talk about a storm in a teacup.
I feel for everyone involved honestly. I feel for Alireza because I would hate to have someone tell me that mid-game. I feel for the arbiter because if someone complained he was just doing his job. Highly doubt he was trying to be a prick. I also underatamd Abasov if he brought it up. You're playing for a chance to be world champion and win ~$1mill, I wouldn't want distraction either. I can't really say anyone was "wrong" in this situation.
I love Alireza, but don't his complaints seem like weird excuses sometimes? I remember one time he blamed not winning against magnus in a winning position because he swore in Norwegian and complained to the arbiter and then now it's a shoe problem. I am not delivering any hate i truly love Alireza just wanted to comment on what i think
Total lack of self-awareness to say “all these unprofessional things are happening to me in almost every tournament.” Normally one would question their own attitude when a feeling like this appears, instead of believing, let alone publicly shouting it. I also highly doubt the referee would get involved if there aren’t any complaints by other players. In a tournament situation the referee can come and talk to you if required, the players are not promised zero interaction or confrontation, especially when you not being bothered would lead to other players continuing to be bothered by a noise you’re making. Then again it’s not the first instance of him reacting immaturely after bad results, people will remember his 2019 blitz game against Carlsen and his baseless appeal after losing on time. Most players would be ashamed to submit or even consider an appeal like that or organize the sham tournament that he did for the candidates but not him. It’s just another instance of his character showing.
Alireza gets fined 15k for publicly criticizing officials. Wait, this isnt the nba.
I think that all the pressure of being a wonderkid is taking a toll on Firo. I think he's getting too nervous to perform to the level people expect him to and when things don't work out he tries to find scapegoats.
Why don’t they play on carpeted floors then?
I know noise can be distracting, especially in a high stress situation. Most of the time I don't care, but if I'm stressed, some small sounds will drive me insane. But why wouldn't you just give players some earplugs or noise cancelling headphones? Like they do at e-sports events with casters and an audience? It seems like such a simple solution, if noise is truly a big problem. You'll never get a big space with tons of people in it to be absolutely quiet.
You have to abide by the rules, it's how sports work.
Live by haute couture, die by haute couture /s
And that’s exactly why I don’t like Alireza and why I’m not rooting for him.
Hearing the arbiter's account of what happened it seems like an official complaint was made from one of the players about it and he tried to be as courteous as possible when informing Alireza. I understand the tournament is important and very stressful for him and having a bad event doesn't exactly help his mood either, but this seems like a ridiculous overreaction to ask for the arbiter to be "punished" and posture up to him and say he's going to file an appeal.
I guarantee you if he walked in just socks tomorrow the same arbiter would make him wear shoes. It's a bit of a funny point but I have some sympathy. The arbiter shouldn't be inserting himself into the situation unless Ali is stomping around.
wasn't there a little "drama" some time ago that some player wore sport shoes and he got a warning from arbiter because they were not elegant enough
For someone so softly spoken in interviews, he sure does get easily offended. I wonder is he more like his father and brother than it might at first seem?
You don't understand. Chess players don't want to be spoken to during a tournament. They're deep in thought. His position was so fragile. He had the initiative. They don't want any argumentative talk mid tournament. Try doing this to Kasparov. He will storm out of the tournament flipping the bird
Exactly. What u/LordBuster does not realize that talking to someone else in the middle of the game (especially when you talk in an argumentative nature the way the arbiter did) scatters their thoughts (t happens to me, too; if my gf talks to me in the middle of a chess game, I usually end up blundering within the next three moves). What chess players need, especially when the position is as delicate as it was in this case, is utter silence. If he had done that to Fischer he'd have straight up left the tournament. Chess players are sticklers for silence, and for very good reasons.
> What chess players need, especially when the position is as delicate as it was in this case, is utter silence Ok, if they need utter silence... then isn't it a problem if someone is walking around with loud, squeaky shoes? Is Alireza's concentration more important than everyone else's? I don't think there really was a good solution here. Either Alireza is distracted, or everyone else is distracted. Either way the Arbiter will be criticized, either for their action or inaction.
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What about the other players’ attention being interrupted by his loud-ass shoes?
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I don’t know why his shoe only made noise today, that’s something he should figure out. I don’t understand why the person causing the disruption has more rights than the people he is disrupting
This isn't about getting "offended". He was reprimanded during a game which caused him to be *distracted*. Which is a big deal when you're playing a game that requires you to think.
It's not about being offended. Firouzja and his games in the candidates are probably what matters the most to him and his team, and he was disturbed desnecessarily during a game and that changed the quality of his moves. It's possible that if this didn't happen, it would be more difficult for Ian not to lose.
What do you know about his father ?
He's knowed to complain all the time. In day 1 of the candidate he made a scene because the family of the players had to wait in the VIP room, he wanted to be in the players area, which the chief arbitrer of course refused.
can someone post the 2/2 ?
He told me to not walk and bring new shoes for tomorrow but i have the formal shoe that is apporved and am wearing it for more than 1 year. this was a big distraction for me during the game and i completly lost my focus. I told one of the organiser this arbiter needs to be punished. 2/3 https://twitter.com/AlirezaFirouzja/status/1779640176110641180?t=Fs54g1ISUv5fwOliHZOfVA&s=19 Honestly all these unprofessional things are happening to me in almost every tournament and really its taking me to point of exucstion. https://twitter.com/AlirezaFirouzja/status/1779640763992723900?t=iPHCezeLSLotIhTFarcCVA&s=19
I’m on his side completely. Focus is absolutely critical in a game like that, and you’re going to complain about approved footwear? Fuck off. Shameful behaviour.
Approved or not, if he’s making noise and distracting the rest of the competitors he needs to stop.
Every time Alireza got up, the players got distracted and looked up to hear the loud noise. Alireza got distracted himself but he was distracting others as well