Sock-cutting and dirty laundry: the unglamorous role of the Euro 2024 kit man

DUESSELDORF, Germany : Vans packed with football kit, colossal piles of laundry and more than 200 boots to take care of - spare a thought for the kit man of Switzerland's national team, one of the unsung heroes of Euro 2024, for whom an error can be as costly to his team as any mistake on the pitch.

Roger Kaspar loves his job, despite its low profile and each day having to tackle some of the bigger logistical headaches of the tournament.

He takes care of training equipment, shirts, shorts, boots and rain jackets and organises daily laundry for 26 players plus coaches and team staff.

He also arranges printing of bespoke match shirts and the inter-city transportation of everything the squad needs.

It's a job he takes seriously.

"It's about good planning, coordination and communication," Kaspar told Reuters.

"We need to have everything in the right place, in the right moment. It's a lot of different things you have to think about and there's always the risk you'll forget something."

Using spreadsheets, he keeps track of inventory to make sure nothing goes missing. Each player has two sets of attire for every match, plus warm-up wear, and two sets of training kits, variable depending on the weather.

Some players like to swap their match shirts with opposing players, others keep them as mementos. And then there are a few special requests before games.

"Above all, it's about the socks," Kaspar said. "Some of the players like to have the socks cut, others not."

Cutting holes in the back of socks reduces pressure on the calf muscles.

THREE VANS TO TRANSPORT KIT

Kaspar has two staff to help him out. Toni Parente takes care of the training kit, while Jean-Benoit Schupbach looks after all the boots, of which each player has about four