The Football Shirt Collective

Stallions and redemption.  Burkina Faso’s journey to the final of the Africa Cup of Nations has it all.  

Burkina Faso, Puma, 2013

Burkina Faso are ranked 92nd in the world, below Cuba, China and Guatemala but have been in defiant form in their run to the final of the Africa Cup of Nations.  

Ahead of the tournament, manager Paul Put showed his players a video of Greece winning the Euro’s, Chelsea winning the Champions League and Zambia winning the last AFCON.  And it seems to have worked - beating Togo in the quarters and Ghana on penalties in the semi-finals.

The cup run has also offered the Belgian manager a chance of redemption.  Paul Put has served a 3 year ban for match fixing from the Belgian FA, after his side had allegedly received money from a Chinese betting syndicate to throw matches.  Though he claims his family was threatened by the mafia if he did not throw the matches.  

As a result of the ban Put made his way to Africa, first to manage Gambia and then Burkina Faso to manage the team with stallions on the shirt.  

There are not many football shirts that sport stallions but this years Burkina Faso, Puma offering is pretty classy, bearing the the legendary horses of Princess Yennenga.  You can order the Burkina Faso, Puma, 2013 here.  

Got a AFCON kit to share.  Let us know @thefootballsc.  

Here are some more links we thought you would like:

Nigeria, Adidas, 1994 - Collar dollar bills 

The end of Errea - Democratic Republic of Congo

Cape Verde, Tepa, 2012 - Stars of the shoulder

This Puma shirt was created just as the era under Otto Rehhagel ended.  In a fourteen year spell, Rehhagel had transformed the club of Bremen from the nearly men (he was nicknamed the Vice Admiral) into one of the most successful teams of the era (2 Bundesligas, 2 Pokals, 1 Cup Winners’ Cup). When he went, Rehhagel left behind him a void.  Five men tried to fill it - Aad de Mos, Dixie Dörner, Wolfgang Sidka and Felix Magath - all failed.

It took former defender Germany Thomas Schaaf, in 1999, to bring silverware back to the Weserstadion.  Schaaf had actually joined the youth academy at Bremen in 1972 at the age of 9.  Too young to manage perhaps.  But that didn’t stop him hanging around, and he has been at the club ever since.

Another one club man associated with Bremen is Dieter Eilts.  Eilts’ nickname was the Alemão of East Frisia, for his similarity to Brazilian midfielder Alemão - something that is easy to see in retrospect, from all those Alemão posters everyone had up on their walls when they were younger. 

Werder Bremen, 1995/6, Puma football shirt

Bremen finished the 1995/96 season in 9th, and went out of the Uefa Cup in the third round.  That should not, though, distract from the lovely green sleeves on this shirt.  And yes, let’s get into the details of the kit.  As you can see, it is sponsored by DBV. DBV is, according to some research, the IATA airport code for Dubrovnik Airport or a type of pulsating white dwarf.

So with either that awe-inspiring image or useful administrative knowledge running through your heads, why don’t we all join in a chorus of the Bremen club song, the Lebenslang Grün-Weiß.  All together now lads.

Sadly, there aren’t a lot of clips around showing the Bremen boys in the home shirt. But if you’re interested and want to take a look at their Manchester City 1993 away tribute kit, then why not watch this clip of the UEFA Cup match against PSV, where Junior Baiano keeps a young Ronaldo firmly in his pocket.

Rob Hogg

The turn of the 21st Century marked a mini golden age for Cameroonian football. Having won the Africa Cup of Nations in 2000, the Indomitable Lions claimed Olympic gold in that year’s summer games, and went on to win another ACN two years later.

Despite becoming the second team in history to defend an ACN title, the 2002 side is more often remembered for massively flustering FIFA by turning up to the World Cup in sleeveless shirts.

Cameroon, Puma, 2002

During that year’s ACN, the Confederation of African Football had seen nothing wrong with the shirt design. Patrick “Magic” M’Boma’s bare shoulders were on display as he tore through stadia across Mali, teaching a young Sam Eto’o a thing or two on the way to becoming tournament top scorer.

In South Korea and Japan, however, kit sponsor Puma’s exotic experiment did not go down well. Appalled that its logo was not on display on the arms of the Cameroonians, FIFA demanded new kits on pain of disqualification.

Black sleeves were sewn on to the shirts like tiny shrouds of mourning, and Cameroon crashed out at the group stage.

Incredibly, the best was yet to come. As if to goad FIFA, Puma had the Lions turn up to the 2004 ACN wearing…shirt-short one-pieces. Sleeves were present, yet shirts continued unbroken into shorts. Puma’s design was also unreasonably tight; nipples and six packs protruded more so than in the Burton/Schumacher Batsuit. 

Cameroon, Puma, 2004

Needless to say, it didn’t take long for FIFA to take note of the fact that the Cameroonians were trotting around pitches in Tunisia wearing green and red Victorian swimsuits. The governing body warned Cameroon that the team would be fined and deducted six points from its World Cup 2006 qualifying campaign if the kit was worn again.

In an act of defiance that would make Rosa Parks sweat, the team kicked off against Nigeria in the ACN quarterfinals with kits unchanged. Proud and absurdly dressed, the rebels lost the match and suffered the points deduction.

Furious, Puma paid the fine on behalf of Cameroon’s football federation and entered into a drawn out legal battle with FIFA that to some represented the brand’s commitment to cutting-edge fashion, and to others a brazen publicity plug in its efforts to compete with FIFA bedfellow Adidas.

The dispute was eventually settled out of court, Cameroon’s points were reinstated, and the controversial kit was laid to rest next to its sleeveless cousin.

Angus McNeice @astokesaym

The Czech Republic’s first competitive football match following its formation was in the Euro 96 qualifiers.  And what a start to international football they had, finishing on top of the group 5 qualifying group ahead of Holland.  

Puma had a tough job on their hands designing the Czech Republic kit for Euro 96.  They needed a shirt to do the newly formed nation proud and to take the attention away from Karel Poborsky’s face.  And with this cracking football shirt they did not disappoint.   

Czech Republic, Puma, 1996

Berger, Smicer, Poborsky and co had a slow start to the tournament losing their opening game to Germany at Old Trafford.  But they soon found their spiritual home at Anfield, where they beat Italy 2-1 and scored a last minute equaliser against Russia to book their place in the knock out rounds.  

Villa Park was next, where Karel Poborsky scored that lob against Portugal - to secure his move to Manchester United.  And back to Manchester United the Czech Republic team went, to knock out France on penalties in the semi-final.  Kadlec held his nerve as Pedros bottled it for France.    

So to Wembley for the final against Germany.  This was the Czech Republic’s first game in London and first on the Wembley pitch, whilst Germany had already played their semi-final there.  Initially the extra experience did Germany little good, as Berger scored the opener for the Czech Republic, but the tide turned.  Germany through Oliver Bierhoff scored the equaliser and then the first golden goal in the history of the competition.  

So for making it to the final of your first ever competitive tournament and for dazzling Europe with this Puma kit, the Czech Republic - we salute you.  

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