In terms of important World Cup issues, the shirts, as ever deserve some attention. You hear a lot of talk about the balls every four years, but the shirts are what really count to the supporters. There are at least six brands battling it out, as far as I can tell from the vantage point of my 21″ TV screen.
Adidas, as worn by Argentina, France, Germany, Spain etc; Nike, worn by Brazil USA etc; Kappa, worn by Italy; Puma as worn by Cameroon; Umbro, donned by England and Ireland; and plucky little Hummel, as worn by the plucky Danes.
Here’s my verdict on the relative performances:
Adidas classic design & solid as ever. Nothing too flash, although experimented with much needed under-arm ventilation it seems.
Nike big own goal when Olic of Croatia ripped his off to celebrate the first goal against Italy, only to find himself unable to get it back on until one of the blokes on the sidelines cut a large piece out from the inside undershirt type thing. They look ridiculous when not tucked in, as they have a see-through over shirt that resembles chiffon. Coupled with that and the bloody awful font and material used for the numbers, which look like iron-on transfers from the 1970s and that makes them the big losers of the World Cup for me, apparel-wise.
Puma can rightly claim to have been a real innovator with their shirts/vests/tanks (depending on where you come from) that Cameroon wear. Sometimes they are with sleeves, sometimes without. Who makes the decision to wear sleeves, I wonder. It’s not as if they provide any additional protection as they’re so short and anyway, they have large holes underneath the arms underarm ventilation has been one of the central themes of this World Cup.
And where would the Italians be without Kappa’s skin-tight numbers, which hugs the bodies of Totti et al so well. Only the Italian boys could get away with it. Can you imagine Paul Scholes in one of them?
Talking of which, England and Ireland doing their bit to support Umbro, but while the England kit isnt bad nice use of the asymmetrical stripe thingy, the Irish one is bland.
Winner: Kappa
Beaten finalist: Adidas
Third place respectability: Puma
Fourth place humiliation: Umbro
Quarter Finalists: Hummel
France: Nike