Y'all can dither over this all you want, but two points are inescapable:
1) The rules are the rules. If you don't want to follow them, don't show up.
2) Telling FIDE "f**k you" during an interview is just crass and immature.
Magnus may be a great chess player, but he didn't show any class or leadership here. I'm glad Gukesh is our World Champion now. Magnus has retired from that role...he should take a cue from Kasparov on how to do it with dignity. Throwing a hissy fit over his pants is not a good look.
FIDE had the hissy fit here. Magnus just came to play a chess game. Your powers of discernment are off. Magnus was not upset about the pants rule being invoked or the fine, he was just not going to walk back to the hotel between rounds and change his pants like a scolded toddler who didn't wash their hands before dinner. The way they tried to treat him was undignified, and they got undignified right back at them as a result.
Reading ur last post (above this one) I can't help but hear it in Douglas Murry's voice..... mainly because I just watched a couple of brief vids with him in them on youtube.