Southampton will not be wearing their famous red home colours at Wembley on Sunday.
Russell Martin‘s side will instead be sporting their black away kit with yellow details that consists of grey shorts and black socks.
Southampton are preparing to face Leeds United after both sides brushed aside their Championship play-off semi-final opponents in the second legs having drawn 0-0 in their respective first leg matches away from home.
Southampton have the psychological benefit of knowing they have beaten Leeds twice this season.
The first of these triumphs came in September, as the Saints ended a run of four straight defeats with a 3-1 win over Daniel Farke’s side.
Perhaps more significantly, though, Martin outfoxed Farke just three weeks ago to beat Leeds 2-1 at Elland Road on the final day of the regular season.
Southampton adorned their black third kit that day and will again do so in the play-off final.
The reason Southampton cannot wear home kit v Leeds
Leeds will have the luxury of wearing their home colours in the showpiece event as they are considered the ‘home’ team for the final due to finishing above Southampton in the regular season.
This is something of an oddity as you would perhaps expect the ‘home’ side to be randomly allocated for an event at a neutral venue, however that is what the EFL have decided is the best way to decide who wears which kit.
Leeds’ colours are of course all white. In most seasons – where Southampton would have red and white stripes – it would be understandable that the two sides obviously could not both wear their home kits against each other due to a colour clash.
Southampton’s away kit this season is white with blue shorts so that is discounted for obvious reasons.
However, this season Southampton’s home kit is more of a block red design, leaving fans scratching their heads at the club’s announcement on ‘X’ that they will be wearing their third kit with a picture of Adam Armstrong and the caption: “Wembley threads. We’ll be in our third kit on Sunday.”
The reason is that the Saints’ socks are white for their home kit, meaning there would be a clash with Leeds’ all white strip.
Why can’t Southampton just change their sock colour?
With that in mind, you would be forgiven for thinking Southampton could simply change their socks to their black third kit socks or a red alternative, however it appears this is not allowed.
That is because clubs have to notify the EFL prior to the start of the season the details on any kits they will be wearing throughout the campaign.
EFL Regulation 39.1 stipulates:
‘During the Close Season, each Club shall notify The League in writing details of its ‘home’ and ‘away’ kit (shirt, shorts and socks) and if applicable any ‘third’ set of kit. Each set of kit registered must differ visibly from and contrast with each other kit registered by the Club in that Season. No changes either in the kit or combination of colours of kits shall be permitted during the course of the Season.’
However, what makes this slightly confusing is that West Brom changed from the usual white sock they use to a navy number in the second leg of the semi-final so that they could wear their home kit at St Mary’s.
When Southampton wore their red home kit as they welcomed Leeds to St Mary’s early in the season Leeds wore their blue away kit so perhaps this should have been expected.
It seems pedantic that Southampton cannot simply change their sock colour to allow both sides to wear their home colours in a final.
There is, of course, a possibility that the EFL did offer the Saints the opportunity to play in their home kit but with different socks and they refused, instead favouring the third kit.
