FOOTBALL kits are a huge business.
Every year, the world’s leading clubs will change up their shirts for a different design.
We’ve seen some incredible kits over the years that have become collector’s items.
But, we’ve also had some absolute stinkers that have had bigger problems than just their design.
And they have become iconic for all the wrong reasons.
SunSport looks at the biggest kits fails, starting with a Premier League and a fabric issue.
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Aston Villa 2023-2024
Football kits should be made to feel light and airy to encourage a good performance.
They should also be able to be able to handle the sweaty athletes that wear them.
Aston Villa’s 2023-2024 jersey did none of that, and was a huge disaster for the English giants.
The Castore-made jerseys appeared drenched when the club was in Europa League action against Legia Warsaw.
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Fans online said it looked the players had taken a shower in them.
It could also have explained why they lost 3-2 in Poland.
Worse still, reports said that Villa’s women’s team dreaded wearing it.
Fiorentina 1992-1993
The Serie A giants were caught in a race row in the early 90s with an away strip Gabriel Batistuta and Co had to wear.
Sponsored by 7 Up, that bit looked retro and cool.
But a closer inspection of the pattern on the shoulders and arms revealed a hidden design that looked like a swastika.
Unfounded rumours claimed the club, who were famous for the fascist allegiances during World War II, purposefully included the Nazi symbol onto the fabric.
Fiorentina soon pulled the shirt and said in a statement: “Fiorentina and the manufacturers, Lotto, would like to underline that the optical [swastika] effect is purely a matter of chance.”
To add insult to injury, the club were relegated that season.
Man Utd 1996-1997
As excuses go for losing away Southampton, blaming the kit is a bit lame.
But that’s exactly what Man Utd boss Sir Alex Ferguson did when his side wore their infamous grey shirt in 1996
Fergie claimed the shirt blended into the crowd and his players couldn’t pick their passes out.
3-1 down at half-time, they were ordered to change their shirts.
Worth noting the score finished 6-3, so they lost the second half too.
Huddersfield 2019-20
A publicity stunt, but one that epically failed and cost The Terriers a fine for misconduct.
The drama unfolded before a preseason friendly against Rochdale, when Town marched out with a shirt that had a HUGE Paddy Power sponsorship banner across the jersey.
Looking more like beauty pageant contestants than a football team, it infringed on the FA’s sponsorship rules that read, ‘one single area not exceeding 250 square centimetres on the front of the shirt’.
The FA banned the shirts, so it is unclear if it was something that would have continued for the rest of the season, or was just a joke for that game.
Barcelona 2015-2016
When it comes to history, don’t break tradition.
Barcelona fans had got used to icons like Diego Maradona, Johan Cruyff and Lionel Messi wearing the famous vertical red and blue stripes.
But there was uproar when the stripes were changed to horizontal for the 2015-2016 season.
A poll in a Spanish newspaper revealed that 78 per cent of Barcelona fans hated the shirts.
The experiment lasted just one season, before Barcelona reverted back to their famous design.
Interestingly, the Catalans also tried a break from the norm with a checked pattern that didn’t catch on.
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Cameroon 2002 & 2004
Cameroon have often been experimental with their shirt designs, and they feature TWICE.
At the 2004 African Nations Cup, they wore a onesie in the knockout stages created by Puma.
Fecafoot, the country’s football federation, was fined £125,000 and they were docked six qualifying points from their World Cup group.
After an appeal, common sense prevailed and the points were reinstated.
Two years prior, Cameroon caused an even bigger stir when they opted for a vest top akin to an NBA basketball team.
It proved to be a success, as they lifted the Africa Cup of Nations.
However, before the World Cup Fifa hit them with a rule that football shorts have to have sleeves.
Cardiff City 2012-2013
The Bluebirds played in blue. Simple.
So, when controversial former Malaysian chairman Vincent Tan wanted them to play in red, imagine the commotion it caused.
His reasons were because red was a lucky colour in Malay culture, so they rebranded in 2012.
He added it was part of ‘major and significant’ investment into the club
A red dragon was also added to the club’s badge too.
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Amazingly, this lasted until 2015 when Tan bowed to fan pressure to change back to blue.
The kit was changed instantly and the badge was redesigned to feature a bluebird on it.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
