Famously, some of England’s most successful football teams wear red, from Arsenal to Liverpool and Manchester United.
Traditionally associated with passion, aggression and dominance, this colour even gave contenders an edge in contact sports like boxing, a 2005 study found.
However, 20 years on, the study authors reveal that this colour-based advantage no longer exists.
The scientists, from the University of Durham, looked at the results of men’s boxing, wrestling and taekwondo events between 1996 and 2021.
They report that the ‘red advantage’ in these combat sports has faded since 2005, with no ‘statistically significant’ link between wearing red and winning.
‘Studies have found that the colour red is associated with dominance, intimidation, anger, and aggressiveness, as well as influencing judges’ scoring,’ the experts say.
‘Nevertheless, our data do demonstrate that the aforementioned psychological associations do not translate well to real world sports performance.’
This new study looked solely at contact sports including boxing and wresting, so the effect of red in ball sports like rugby, tennis and football may have to be investigated further.
Twenty years ago, University of Durham experts said wearing red is consistently associated with a higher probability of winning – but now they say this is no longer the case
Traditionally associated with passion, aggression and dominance, this colour gave contenders an edge in contact sports, the 2005 study said. Pictured, boxing at 1996 Olympic Games
Famously, England were wearing red when they were awarded ‘the most controversial goal in football history’ – which may have influenced the officials’ decision.
The new study, published in Scientific Reports, looked at the results of 1v1 boxing, taekwondo, Greco-Roman wresting and freestyle-wrestling matches between 1996 and 2021.
The results were from seven Summer Olympic Games (between 1996 and 2020) and nine World Boxing Championships (between 2005 and 2021).
Unlike in football where clubs wear the same colours pretty much permanently, in these contact events contestants were randomly given either red or blue outfits.
Out of 6,589 bouts, 3,328 were won by contestants wearing red – equating to 50.51 per cent.
However, the researchers say this isn’t ‘statistically significant’, meaning it’s not enough to suggest wearing red has any meaningful effect.
On the other hand, the team’s 2005 study looked at the same four sports at the 2004 Olympics.
It found 56.8 per cent of victories between closely matched competitors going to the athlete in red – a statistically significant result.
Traditionally, the colour red is associated with dominance, intimidation, anger and aggressiveness, as well as influencing judges’ scoring (file photo)
The new study looked at the results of 1v1 boxing, taekwondo, Greco-Roman wresting and freestyle-wrestling matches between 1996 and 2021. The results were from seven Summer Olympic Games (between 1996 and 2020) and nine World Boxing Championships (between 2005 and 2021)
According to study author Professor Rob Barton, both the 2005 and 2025 studies focused solely on men’s events.
‘But we published a follow-up analysis that included women – and found no significant effect for women,’ he told MailOnline.
The researchers speculate that up until 2005, referees who were officiating contact sports may have been prone to award close calls to the red contestant – perhaps because they were unconsciously intimated by them.
But after the 2005 study was published, it’s possible researchers became aware of this bias and since made a conscious effort to stop it from happening.
Also, before 2005, combat sport referees played a larger role in assigning points, whereas today, scoring is increasingly supported by technology.
Overall, the researchers conclude that the red advantage in combat sports has faded over the course of two decades.
‘For athletes looking to secure a win, combat sports offer a more level playfield than ever before,’ they say.
Wearing red may no longer provide the sporting advantage it once did, at least in contact sports.
In November 1964, Liverpool FC adopted a fully red home kit under the reign of manager Bill Shankly, having previously worn red shirts and white shorts. Pictured, Liverpool FC squad for the 1969/70 season
A 2008 study found the red shirt colour is associated with long-term team success in English football, but further research will be needed to reveal whether this has similarly changed since then.
‘One experimental study showed that goalkeepers were less confident that they would save a penalty taken by a red-wearing striker,’ added Professor Barton.
Also, in cities with red-wearing and blue-wearing teams (e.g. Liverpool and Everton), the red-wearing teams have had significantly greater long-term success, he said.
In November 1964, Liverpool FC adopted a fully red home kit under the reign of manager Bill Shankly, having previously worn red shirts and white shorts.
Shankly thought an all-red kit would make his team more intimidating – and the club would go on to win the FA cup that season for the first time.
However, from Liverpool FC’s inception in 1892 until 1896, Liverpool’s home kit featured a white and blue quartered shirt.
More recently, Cardiff City FC controversially changed its home shirt from blue to red between 2012 and 2015 under Malaysian owner Vincent Tan.
WHAT MAKES THE BEST FOOTBALLER?
Players with great skill, such as Lionel Messi (pictured) are more likely to win games than players with superior athletic ability
Skillful footballers are more likely to win matches than even the most athletic players, according to research from the University of Queensland.
A study found that balance and skill when controlling the ball can tip a game toward a win more than speed, strength, or fitness.
The researchers say their study could help football coaching academies focus their training on player attributes that are more likely to win games.
The Queensland team used analytical techniques developed in evolutionary biology to determine the impact of a player’s skill, athletic ability, and balance on their success during a game.
They found that a player’s skill that was the most important factor to their and their team’s performance.
Players will higher skill were more likely to be more involved in games and have more successful contributions.
However, players with top athletic abilities like speed, strength and fitness were not associated with higher success rates in games.
‘Higher skill allows players to have a greater impact on the game,’said lead researcher Dr Robbie Wilson, from the University of Queensland, Australia, told MailOnline.
‘Accurate passing and greater ball control are more important for success than high speed, strength and fitness.
‘It may be obvious to fans and coaches that players like Lionel Messi and Neymar are the best due to their skill.
‘However, 90 per cent of research on soccer players is based on how to improve their speed, strength, and agility — not their skill.’
