Man Utd make kit change to help colour-blind fans for Middlesbrough FA Cup tie

Manchester United will wear white socks instead of their usual black ones for their FA Cup tie at home to Middlesbrough.

The Red Devils welcome Boro to Old Trafford on Friday night, and they have opted to make a kit change in order to help prevent potential issues for colour-blind viewers.

As reported by MailOnline, United have decided on the change ‘to avoid potential issues for colour-blind fans and viewers’ and to ‘help increase the visual contrast’.

Middlesbrough only have two options for their socks – red or green – so United think that wearing black will clash more.

Late last year, World Rugby have announced that red-green kit clashes will be banned at the 2027 World Cup to help people with colour vision deficiency (CVD). This, however, has not prevented Ireland and Wales opting to wear their respective green and red home shirts, a clash which will heavily affect colour blind viewers.

"It drives me mad. The fact they know there is a kit clash and it still happens is just not acceptable."

Football is failing colour blind fans, but it can be easily remedied. This is how. pic.twitter.com/0QAac9JI6s

— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) February 16, 2021

According to Colour Blind Awareness, colour blindness (colour vision deficiency) affects approximately 1 in 12 men (8%) and 1 in 200 women in the world. This means that, in Britain, there are approximately 3 million colour blind people and worldwide, there are approximately 300 million people with colour blindness.

They add that the most common form of colour blindness is known as ‘red/green colour blindness’ and the majority of colour blind people have one type of this.

Interim manager Ralf Rangnick will be hoping for a good run in the FA Cup, with the Reds sitting fourth in the Premier Table – 19 points behind city rivals Manchester City and just two points ahead of Arsenal, who have a game in hand.

Middlesborough have also enjoyed a positive season so far and currently find themselves sixth in the Championship, with former Boro boss Neil Warnock suggesting that they have what it takes to beat the Red Devils.

Warnock – who was replaced as manager by Chris Wilder in November – believes the Championship side have a good chance of causing an upset against the 12-time FA Cup winners at Old Trafford, adding that his old club have better defenders.

He told talkSPORT Breakfast: “They’ve [Manchester United] got great individuals but not a team and I don’t see that coming.

“They’ve got my old team Middlesbrough in the next round of the FA Cup and I wouldn’t swap any of their defenders for the back three at Middlesbrough – Dael Fry, Anfernee Dijksteele and Paddy McNair.