MANY football fans are only just learning why Germany play in white.
The country’s flag is red, black and yellow, but their famous strip has little resemblance to those national colours.
And the origin behind that stretches back more than 100 years.
You have to rewind all the way to the 1800s to understand why their kit is predominantly white – to a time when the Prussian flag was flown.
Prussia was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea which stretched from France to the modern border of Russia.
The region had a white flag with a cross near the centre – which was later changed to a black eagle.
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As a result, when German football was founded in 1899, the national team adopted the black eagle as their emblem and the white colour from the Prussian flag for their kit.
And even when the state lost its political power during the Revolution of 1918/19, they continued with the white kit and have not changed more than 100 years on.
Germany have won the World Cup four times – with only Brazil claiming the trophy on more occasions.
Four years ago in Russia, they were knocked out in the group stage for the first time since 1938.
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And there is still a chance they could suffer the same fate this time around in Qatar.
Germany lost their opening game of this year’s World Cup, relinquishing the lead as Japan stunned them to secure a famous 2-1 win.
Hansi Flick’s men bounced back on Sunday with a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Spain.
But they will still need to beat Costa Rica in their final match on Thursday if they are to have any chance of reaching the knockout stages.
Irrespective of the result, World Cup history will be made in Germany’s final group game as Stephanie Frappart will become the first woman to referee at the tournament.
Frappart, 38, will have support from assistants Neuza Back of Brazil and Mexico’s Karen Diaz Medina in an all-female officiating trio.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
