Alireza walking noisily

Yesterday, in round 9 of the candidates, Alireza was irritated to be interrupted mid-game by the arbiter who asked him to walk more quietly while pacing the hall (actually, the part of the hall where refreshments are set out with a hard wooden floor) the arbiter also suggested that Firouza wear softer shoes in future rounds. The player was in a complex game with Hikaru, at one point with a significant advantage, however the game was ultimately a draw. Alireza is considering making a formal complaint at the interruption from the arbiter, which broke his concentration. (I'm not sure at which move the interruption happened)

The arbiter has said that another player had complained about being distracted by the loud noise from Alireza's pacing in heavy shoes, and so he needed to address the problem - which seems fair enough. But how loud is too loud?

Generally speaking, players are not interrupted during games - but was this justified? It seems to me that all the players should enjoy a quiet environment, so I believe the arbiter was correct. Any views on this? 

Well he could borrow some heels from one of the women players in a pinch to make regulation.

the way I see it Alireza wasn't doing anything wrong. normal shoes, normal behavior as many players do between moves. I don't think the arbiter should have approached him. Nijat (apparently the source of the complaint) has to deal with the ambient noises, which includes players walking around.

but I also think Alireza is making too big of a deal out of this & nothing will happen here.

Is this the beginning of a Squeaky Shoe Gambit variation?

Will it ultimately be refuted?... perhaps by requiring that Grandmasters be felted on the bottom, like chess pieces?

Shoegate. Stay tuned.......

Loud noises! I think both overreacted due to the difficulty of high level chess & the arbiter was just caught in the middle trying to be fair.

* edit Firouza was playing Nepomniatchi in round 9, not Hikaru

It is said - that the definition of a sport (as opposed to a game) is that - 'It's a sport if you have to change your shoes to play it" - in which case this game between Firouza and Nepomniatchi proves this definition

Give everyone slippers for major tournaments