Five Shirts At The Men's Euros
and, on the eve of the European elections, some different ways that politics does not stay away from football
The Belgium shirt, home and away
The home shirt, with its beautiful burgundy colour, is actually so pleasant just to look at. A favourite for sure.
Belgium stole the headlines back in March when their Euros shirts were presented, as it quickly emerged that their away kit had a backstory (and football supporters love an emotional attachment to a piece of garment.) The lovely light blue shirt, donning a big white collar which was, perhaps somewhat unusually, paired with brown shorts, was not just a particular fashion statement but inspired by one of Belgium’s most famous persons, the comic book character Tintin. It’s even been suggested that their warm up jacket is inspired by his trenchoat.
A cute idea which also poses some questions. Belgium’s colonial past is mirrored in its popular culture and so also in Tintin. The book series has been called out to be racist, and there has been continuous discussions on the topic of Tintin and the racism for a long time, both in Sweden and in Anglo-Saxon and Francophone countries, with people calling for the books to be taken off the shelves. Most of the criticism centers around the book Tintin in the Congo, although other titles have also been criticised. A middle-way seems to have been to include a preface explaining the colonial context in the newer editions.
I guess my question is, do we have to make a football shirt that celebrates this? And if so, can it at the very least come attached with a bit of a discussion around the history? If done right I think it could make it even more interesting and memorable.
The England home shirt
The shirt in itself is quite basic, we’ve seen the white England strip with the three little lions before. However, the inclusion of a multi-coloured St George’s flag at the back of the collar caused quite a stir. What was, according to Nike, supposed to be a “playful” update has been likened to a rainbow flag and the company has been accused of carrying out an LGBTQIA agenda off the literal back of one of England’s most precious symbols.
This has caused everyone from political leaders like Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak to J*e B*rton coming out to criticise the new design. So funny because England has worn the St George’s cross on their football shirts on multiple occasions and it’s never actually been a “traditional” one.
Lord, give me strength.
This is when I’m, again, so thankful for the women’s game. As much as we can agree that pride month mainly is a chance for companies to use the rainbow as an alias, this incident also shows the power that these colours hold. The likes of the USWNT donning the LGBTQIA flag on their numbers and on their crest is something.
The Denmark away shirt
Nothing remarkable about this one, but I think the cleanness of this is the main attraction, and the collar gives a nod to the shirts of the 80s and 90s. I’m also a sucker for an inspirational sentence in the back like here, “For Danmark - en del af noget større” or “For Denmark - a part of something larger.”
It’s part of this strategy that they have, where they also include a page on their reasoning behind the men’s team going to Qatar in 2022, which they did.
The France shirt, home and away
it is la perfection
The electric blue of the home shirt is mouthwatering, whilst the thin multi-coloured stripes on the away kit presents another dimension of stylish. It is the combination of these two kits as well as the individual beauty, they just complement each other so well.
The choice to make the cockerel on the crest larger is also A CHOICE, it could have looked so bad but it is one that pays off.
One thing that annoys me a lot is an observation that I heard from the French U17 players, who were wearing the kit when they played the U17-Euros in Sweden a few weeks ago. I was complementing them on the stunning kit when they pointed out that the cockerel on their shirt is smaller than it is on the men’s shirts. I’ve not been able to verify this, but oh the irony if correct.
The men always have to be the bigger cockerel.Guess who still does not get to play with a cockerel on their chest at all though? Any and all hijabi-wearing footballers (and athletes.) France are still banning hijabs, citing their strict secular laws. Ahead of the Olympics, hosted by the French this summer, the group Les Hijabeuses — who have been raising this issue for years — have arranged their own games called Jeux des Hijabeuses.
As Shireen Ahmed says, forcing women out of clothing is as violent as forcing them into it, and this matter is a violation of sports and rights. This is such a good chat on the topic between Ahmed and Mariam Kourabi aka She Scores Bangers.
The Hungary away shirt
The design feels a bit early 2000s, and I actually love the colour way of dark green and a deep red. Extra point for the way the side swoops go over into the shorts.
I like that they get to have two football badges on their shirt! Whilst trying to find out why this is the case, I fell down a rabbit hole on the far-right Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán, his football obsession and politics, which is a fantastic and horrifying read.
Honorable mentions (based on looks only)
Albania third shirt - I’m obsessed with the subtle pattern that repeats across the shirts but really comes out in the pitch-black of the third shirt. The collar makes it extra nice.
Croatia home shirt - I’m a basic bitch but I really love the checkered style of the Croatia shirts, it’s so distinct and looks really cool.
Turkey home shirt - A slightly different design, perhaps too simple but I still like it actually. Very minimalistic.